This year’s satirical Master Kackadoris Award for the promotion of quackery goes to VU Amsterdam, which appointed a chiropractor as professor.
The Association against Quackery denounces (in Dutch) chiropractic as an unproven and sometimes dangerous treatment. The association is outraged that a chiropractor could become a special professor at the Vrije Universiteit, even if it is not at the Faculty of Medicine.
The chair in Optimising management of musculoskeletal health is made possible in part by a professional association of chiropractors that seeks recognition for the profession. Last year, the university responded that the appointment had been made according to the rules.
Amsterdam UMC was also in the running for the award, due to its research into acupuncture for children with persistent constipation. The association nominates people, companies and institutions that promote quackery when they should know better.
The award is named after a comedy from 1596, in which Master Kackadoris convinces farmers that he can cure their ailments.
HOP Bas Belleman
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