By Brian Martin

Waney Squier had a highly successful career as a medical specialist and researcher, is the author of numerous scientific publications, and was one of the most experienced figures in her field. But then her professional behaviour was questioned and she had to spend years defending a charge brought by the General Medical Council. The hearings damaged her reputation and her livelihood was threatened. She has been through a terrible ordeal.

The question I want to address here is whether Squier has been fairly treated. I address this indirectly by looking at the methods used against her, adopting two approaches. The first is to compare Squier’s experiences with the patterns common in cases of suppression of dissent in science. The second is to look for techniques commonly used to reduce outrage from injustice.Ultimately, it would require a much more in-depth investigation, perhaps equivalent in scale to the GMC hearings, to pass a more definitive judgement about fairness. My examination is more limited and hence my assessments are potentially open to challenge. Nevertheless, available evidence strongly suggests that Squier was unfairly treated.

page: 141 – 149
Prometheus: Critical Studies in Innovation Volume 35, Issue 5
SKU: 350506