And Nothing But the Truth

The great physicist Niels Bohr said, “The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.” In other words, when it comes to things like physics and healthcare policy, it’s complicated. Why title this book “And nothing but the truth?” We are living in an age of misinformation (mistaken beliefs) and disinformation (purposeful lies). “Mis/Dis” has always been a thorn in the side of public health agencies like the Food and Drug Administration but exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. And I’ve got the scars to prove it. When it comes to Mis/Dis, the public health community is in an asymmetric warfare situation. Alas, in the real world, politics, polemics, tweets, and threads trump advanced educational degrees, impressive academic affiliations, and peer review. But, as Gandhi reminds us, “Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.” Healthcare evolution, in technology and policy, is a never-ending parade of complicated and contradictory truths. This book tries to make some sense of them.