December 8, 2006

scientists respond to criticism of the late Sir Richard Doll

This followed stories in the Guardian and on the Today programme criticising the late Sir Richard Doll for allegedly receiving industry bribes for favourable research outcomes.

Dr Ken Fleming, Head of the Medical Sciences Division of Oxford University, said:

“Richard Doll was a researcher of the highest integrity.”

Professor John Toy, Cancer Research UK’s medical director, said:

“Richard Doll’s lifelong service to public health has saved millions of lives. His pioneering work demonstrated the link between smoking and lung cancer and paved the way towards current efforts to reduce tobacco’s death toll.

“In the days when he was publishing it wasn’t automatic for potential conflicts of interest to be declared in scientific papers.”