I think there's a difference between getting "supporting data" (or your own medical test results) and using a physician (and a university's name) without their express permission to both:
1. promote a commercial work, and
2. espouse an exercise regime that may be harmful.
Tim has responded to my comment on that original post:
"Matt,
To be clear: - Dr. Plato took most of the measurements in one chapter titled “Geek to Freak” - As she noted, I’ve contacted her several times (phone and email) in the desire to confirm data and even repeat tests. My last email to her was in March of 2009 and read:
“Dear Dr. Plato,
It has been some time since we last spoke, and I hope this finds you well! We did a number of hydrostatic weighings and circumference measurements back in 2005/2006, when I was gaining a lot of muscular weight as an experiment.
Are you still working at the Human Performance Laboratory? I will be writing a new book about physical optimization and will need to track things well. Do you have any availability for a visit from me and one other person anytime soon?”
If I wanted to falsify data, I wouldn’t include a specific person’s name. Too much headache for everyone. I hoped to actually work with Dr. Plato to present things, but she didn’t respond to my email/phone.
I don't know if I'm missing the point here, but I don't see anything wrong with getting tests done and letting people know who did the testing and where.
Unless Ferris is claiming a personal endorsement of his program that does not exist, this is a non-issue. The university and physician seem to have been given ample opportunity to divorce themselves from the published results and/or retest. The refusal to do either because Ferriss doesn't work for the civil service is churlish.
The problem is using a physician's name to lend authority to a physical regimen that might be harmful without that physician's approval. He's clearly attempting to mislead his readers.
This has nothing to do with Ferris not working for the civil service.
The physician is refusing to confirm the results b/c Ferris signed an NDA prohibiting the university from releasing the results. Ferris, obviously, was not bound by that NDA.
1. promote a commercial work, and 2. espouse an exercise regime that may be harmful.
Tim has responded to my comment on that original post:
"Matt,
To be clear: - Dr. Plato took most of the measurements in one chapter titled “Geek to Freak” - As she noted, I’ve contacted her several times (phone and email) in the desire to confirm data and even repeat tests. My last email to her was in March of 2009 and read:
“Dear Dr. Plato,
It has been some time since we last spoke, and I hope this finds you well! We did a number of hydrostatic weighings and circumference measurements back in 2005/2006, when I was gaining a lot of muscular weight as an experiment.
Are you still working at the Human Performance Laboratory? I will be writing a new book about physical optimization and will need to track things well. Do you have any availability for a visit from me and one other person anytime soon?”
If I wanted to falsify data, I wouldn’t include a specific person’s name. Too much headache for everyone. I hoped to actually work with Dr. Plato to present things, but she didn’t respond to my email/phone.
That is. Nothing sinister about it.
All the best,
Tim Ferriss"