Need to know how to always question and not trust Big Pharma

Barry Marshall at GYSS 2023 – How bad luck, Incompetence & fraud, delayed a discovery by 100 years
Duration: 1:02:09

In 1984, Professor Barry Marshall drank a broth that contained the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) to test a hypothesis that scientists had failed to prove for a century: that bacteria can live in the stomach. On the eighth day, his stomach was dangerously inflamed, and a biopsy revealed the presence of H. pylori. The experiment — and Prof Marshall’s determination — paved the way towards a better understanding of the role of H. pylori in peptic ulcers and gastric cancer.

For his plenary lecture, Prof Marshall asserted that this discovery could have been made 100 years ago if it weren’t for bad timing, poor research design, and research fraud. He invited attendees to reflect on these errors and to remain committed to their science. “If you discover something new, everybody would hate you and your idea,” he shared. “You have to be tough. And if you are tough and you have good data, you will keep fighting.”



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