Rodent Regatta

Walter Olson has an op-ed piece in today’s Wall Street Journal. [Paid subscription to the Wall Street Journal may be required]

Here’s an excerpt concerning a brand new study that disputes some causal relationships that have been successfully prosecuted in the past:

Why is this news? In part because lawsuits blaming OBs for cerebral palsy and other infant brain damage may constitute the single biggest branch of medical malpractice litigation, yielding lawyers the highest settlements and the richest contingency fees, rivaled only by failure to diagnose cancer. If ACOG’s report is to be credited, much of this litigation looks to be scientifically unfounded.