I Told You So!

For two decades, Matt Kaplan has covered science for the Economist.He’s seen breakthroughs often occur in spite of, rather than because of, the behaviour of the research community, and how support can be withheld for those who don’t conform or have the right connections.In this passionately argued and entertaining book, Kaplan narrates the history of the 19th century Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis, who realised that Childbed fever-a devastating infection that only struck women who had recently given birth-was spread by doctors not washing their hands.Semmelweis was met with overwhelming hostility by those offended at the notion that doctors were at fault, and is a prime example of how the scientific community often fights new ideas, even when the facts are staring them in the face. In entertaining prose, Kaplan reveals scientific cases past and present to make his case.Some are familiar, like Galileo being threatened with torture and Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó being fired when