Introduction

The history of medicine is often framed as a story of progress, innovation, and discovery. However, this narrative frequently overlooks the harmful practices, pseudoscientific beliefs, and ethical violations that shaped that progress. This chapter, The Art of Pseudoscience: Visualizing the Harm Behind Scientific Progress, uses a series of visual artworks to explore how science, technology, and society (STS) intersect in the development of medical knowledge. Through these pieces, I examine how fear, social influence, and power structures have historically shaped what is accepted as “science,” often at the expense of vulnerable populations.

Each artwork highlights a different dimension of pseudoscience or unethical medical practice, revealing that science is not purely objective but is deeply influenced by cultural beliefs, access to knowledge, and systems of authority. By combining artistic interpretation with historical and scientific research, this chapter aims to challenge the idea of linear medical progress and instead encourage critical reflection on how scientific knowledge is constructed, who benefits from it, and who is often left out.

The Business of False Healing

This piece, The Business of False Healing, depicts a chaotic and theatrical “doctor” who asserts authority through a fabricated credential labeled “Doctor of Quackery Science.” His exaggerated expression, glowing eyes, and erratic gestures emphasize deception and instability, while the surrounding patients place blind trust in him despite visible harm. The figure represents historical and modern practitioners who exploit fear and misinformation to gain credibility, often positioning themselves against legitimate medicine by using misleading language and fear-based rhetoric.

The bright, neon color palette reflects sensory manipulation and overstimulation, mirroring how pseudoscientific claims often rely on bold, attention-grabbing promises rather than evidence. This contrast between vibrant visuals and harmful practices highlights how easily misinformation can spread when it is packaged convincingly. As described in Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, dangerous medical treatments have historically thrived in environments where desperation, limited knowledge, and social trust allowed unqualified individuals to present themselves as experts (Kang and Pedersen). This artwork ultimately demonstrates that scientific authority is not solely based on knowledge but is socially constructed through perception, language, and trust.

Blind faith in false science

This four-panel composition, Blind Faith in False Science, explores different manifestations of pseudoscience and willful ignorance. Each figure is blindfolded, symbolizing a conscious refusal to engage with scientific evidence. The panels depict belief in supernatural diagnostics (dowsing), climate change denial, reliance on unregulated supplements, and fear-based myths such as spontaneous human combustion. These scenes illustrate how individuals may selectively accept or reject scientific information based on cultural beliefs, identity, or fear.

The glowing elements contrasted against muted, grey bodies emphasize how pseudoscience often appears appealing or “alive,” while the individuals themselves become disconnected from reality. This visual tension reflects how misinformation can be emotionally persuasive even when it lacks evidence. As discussed in Pseudoscience: An Amusing History of Crackpot Ideas and Why We Love Them, people are often drawn to pseudoscience because it offers simple explanations, reinforces existing beliefs, and provides a sense of control in uncertain situations (Kang and Pedersen). This artwork highlights how societal narratives and media influence public understanding of science, demonstrating that belief in pseudoscience is not simply a lack of knowledge, but a complex interaction between psychology, culture, and technology.

Not heard, not studied, not treated

This piece, Not Heard, Not Studied, Not Treated, presents a split composition that contrasts the experiences of women and men within medical science. On the left, a blindfolded woman in visible pain is repeatedly dismissed with the phrase “you’re fine,” symbolizing the historical and ongoing minimization of women’s pain and the lack of representation in medical research. Her muted tones and fragmented form reflect neglect, invisibility, and the consequences of being excluded from scientific study. On the right, a well-dressed man is surrounded by symbols of scientific advancement, DNA, data, and modern technology, representing how medical knowledge has historically centered male bodies as the default standard.

The stark contrast in color and structure reinforces this imbalance. The woman’s side is chaotic and dim, emphasizing suffering and dismissal, while the man’s side is ordered and illuminated, symbolizing control, validation, and progress. This visual divide highlights how scientific knowledge is not neutral but is shaped by social biases and power structures. As discussed in Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia, access to education, authority, and participation in science has historically been limited by gender, class, and social status, resulting in the exclusion and marginalization of certain groups (Regal).

This artwork critiques the systemic inequities embedded within medical research and practice, demonstrating how the exclusion of women from clinical studies has led to gaps in knowledge, misdiagnosis, and unequal healthcare outcomes. It ultimately emphasizes that who is included in science directly impacts what is known, understood, and treated.

Progress built on the dead

This piece, Progress Built on the Dead, presents a man divided into two halves, symbolizing the tension between human dignity and scientific advancement. One side shows him recently deceased, dressed in the suit he was buried in, representing his identity, humanity, and the grief experienced by his loved ones. The other half is dissected, exposing his body as an object of scientific study. This contrast forces the viewer to confront how the same individual can be treated as both a person and a resource.

The surrounding imagery reinforces this divide. A grieving figure represents the emotional impact of death, while the exchange of money between figures references the historical practice of body snatching, where cadavers were taken without consent and sold to medical institutions. As described in Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, early anatomical research often depended on ethically questionable practices, particularly involving marginalized individuals whose bodies were used without permission (Roach).

The use of dark, muted tones on the burial side evokes mourning and respect, while colder, clinical tones on the dissected side reflect detachment and scientific objectivity. This visual division emphasizes that medical progress is not purely objective but is shaped by ethical decisions, power structures, and societal values. The artwork ultimately asks whether the advancement of knowledge can justify the means used to achieve it.

Where teaching becomes exploitation

This piece, Where Teaching Becomes Exploitation, depicts the historical reality of surgical theaters as spaces of both medical advancement and profound ethical violation, particularly for marginalized populations. At the top of the composition, a patient undergoes surgery in front of a gallery of observers, highlighting how these procedures were often performed publicly as educational demonstrations. However, rather than being treated with dignity, patients, especially those who were poor or from minority groups, were frequently used as subjects for experimentation without consent.

The central figure, fractured and illuminated by glowing fissures, represents both physical and psychological trauma. These branching, vein-like cracks extend throughout the composition, symbolizing how the harm inflicted on individuals also spreads through entire communities that were systematically excluded from ethical medical care. The presence of a woman confined to a wheelchair references the silencing and control of women in medicine, including the use of procedures such as lobotomies to suppress those labeled as “hysterical.”
The cold, clinical palette of blues and greys reinforces the environment’s detached, institutional nature, while the intrusion of deep reds and glowing orange tones symbolizes bloodshed, pain, and the hidden human cost of progress. This contrast reveals how spaces intended for healing were often sites of suffering and control.

As explored in Pseudoscience: The Conspiracy Against Science, scientific practices are shaped by social hierarchies, cultural beliefs, and systems of power that determine whose knowledge is valued and whose bodies are used (Kaufman and Kaufman). This artwork emphasizes that science is not inherently ethical or objective; rather, it reflects the inequalities present in society. It calls attention to the importance of informed consent, ethical standards, and inclusivity in modern medicine, reminding viewers that progress must not come at the expense of human dignity.

Conclusion

The artworks in this chapter collectively challenge the idea that scientific and medical progress is inherently ethical or objective. Instead, they reveal how science is deeply intertwined with social values, cultural beliefs, and systems of power. From the exploitation of fear in pseudoscience to the use of marginalized bodies in medical advancement, these pieces demonstrate that progress has often come at a significant human cost.

By examining these historical and conceptual issues through art, this chapter emphasizes the importance of critical thinking in evaluating scientific claims and practices. It also highlights the need for ethical accountability, inclusivity, and informed consent in modern medicine. Ultimately, understanding the past allows us to recognize the biases and inequalities that continue to shape science today. Through this lens, the chapter calls for a more responsible and reflective approach to scientific advancement, one that prioritizes both knowledge and humanity.

Refrences

Kaufman, A. B., & Kaufman, J. C. (Eds.). (2018). Pseudoscience: The Conspiracy Against Science. The
MIT Press.

Regal, B. (2012). Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia (1st ed.). Praeger.
https://doi.org/10.5040/9798216002444

Kang, L., & Nate Pedersen. (2017). Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything.
Workman Publishing.

Kang, L., & Pedersen, N. (2025). Pseudoscience: An Amusing History of Crackpot Ideas and Why We
Love Them. Workman Publishing

Roach, M. (2004). Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. W. W. Norton & Company.

Forrester, Laura. The Business of False Healing. Acrylic on paper, completed [March 2026].

Forrester, Laura. Blind Faith in False Science. Acrylic on paper, completed [March 2026].

Forrester, Laura. Not Heard, Not Studied, Not Treated. Acrylic on paper, completed [April 2026].

Forrester, Laura. Progress Built on the Dead. Acrylic on paper, completed [April 2026].

Forrester, Laura. When Teaching Becomes Exploitation. Acrylic on paper, completed [April 2026].