10:23 Campaign

Origin and name

In 2004, the Belgian skeptical organisation SKEPP made headlines when thirty skeptics at Ghent University performed a "mass suicide stunt" with an overdose of homeopathically diluted snake poison, belladonna and arsenic, in an attempt to publicly show that homeopathy does not work. When Belgian skeptics met with Merseyside Skeptics during a Skeptics in the Pub in 2010, the idea was adopted to hold an international event.

The campaign's name, 10:23, comes from the Avogadro number, which is approximately 6.022 × 1023.

Aims

The campaign aims to raise awareness of implausible and unsubstantiated claims made by homoeopaths.

The organisers state that homoeopathy is "an unscientific and absurd pseudoscience", and that, according to their statement, "There is nothing in it." They question the ethics of selling treatments to the public which have not been proven to be efficacious and are widely disregarded by the scientific community.

Participation

On 30 January 2010, members participated in a protest involving a mass overdose of homoeopathic products to demonstrate its inefficacy. Many protesters stood outside branches of Boots UK, other shops selling homoeopathic products, and other prominent public spaces and took 84 pills each of arsenicum album, 20 times the recommended dose.

A second overdose was organised for 5–6 February 2011. Worldwide, the campaign received commitments of participation from 70 cities in 30 countries. In the United Kingdom, events took place in Manchester, as part of the QED Conference, and Cardiff. The original Belgian SKEPP and the Dutch organisations Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij and Stichting Skepsis also participated in the worldwide 10:23 Campaign. They carried out their tongue-in-cheek suicide attempt in Brussels and Amsterdam specifically to protest the recognition of homeopathic preparations by the European Parliament. Czech Sisyfos organization joined this happening when its members tried to publicly overdose themselves in Prague.

In April 2012, at the Berkeley SkeptiCal conference, over 100 people participated in a mass overdose, taking caffea cruda, which is intended to treat sleeplessness.

There have been no reports of ill effects following any of the overdoses.

Support

Notable scientists and public figures have shown support for the 10:23 Campaign, including Phil Plait, James Randi Educational Foundation, Simon Singh, Steven Novella, Penn Jillette, and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.

James Randi invited advocates and retailers of homoeopathy to take the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge to prove that homoeopathy was efficacious to win a prize and himself overdosed on homoeopathic sleeping pills as part of his stage show.

Reaction and media coverage

The campaign gained international coverage in the press from The Australian, The Medical Observer, BBC, The Independent, The Telegraph, and The Guardian.

The British Homeopathic Association dismissed the 10:23 Campaign as "grossly irresponsible", describing the public overdose as dangerous, and claimed that the participants had no understanding of how to select remedies appropriately.

Melbourne-based Dr Ken Harvey told Pharmacy News "the campaign would raise awareness of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) transparency review and concerns over homeopathic products."

Gallery

File:Mark_Edward_phosphorus_overdose.JPG|Skeptical activist and magician Mark Edward overdoses in Monterey, CA 2011 File:Suicidio homeopático 2011- Bandeja con productos para "intoxicarse".jpg|Tray shows products used in Chile in 2011 File:Suicidio homeopático 2011 en Santiago de Chile.jpg|10:23 campaign in Santiago, Chile 2011 File:SkeptiCal overdosing 2012.JPG|SkeptiCal group overdosing on homoeopathic solution. Berkeley, CA 21 April 2012 File:1023-oslo-2011.jpg| 10:23 campaign in Oslo, Norway, 2011

References

References

1. "1023.org.uk".
2. "Liverpool anti-homeopathy campaigners stage protest". BBC News.
3. Hilde Pauwels. (12 January 2004). "Gif slikken om homeopathie te ontmaskeren". [[Corelio.
4. {{in lang. nl [http://skepp.be/nl/gezondheid/alternatieve-behandelingen/homeopathie/de-homeopathie-stunt De Homeopathie stunt] {{Webarchive. link. (3 December 2013 . Skepp.be, 1 March 2004 (overview of media articles))
5. Bonneux, Luc. (May–June 2004). "Belgium Skeptics Commit Mass Suicide". [[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]].
6. Hall, Mike. (23 September 2010). "Skeptics with a K: Episode No. 031". [[Merseyside Skeptics Society]].
7. "10:23 Frequently Asked Questions".
8. Merseyside Skeptics Society. (2009-11-27). "An Open Letter to Alliance Boots". The Skeptic.
9. "Homeopathy: Overdosing on nothing".
10. Merseyside Skeptics Society. "The 10:23 Challenge".
11. Davis, Margaret. (30 January 2010). "Mass 'overdose' staged in homeopathic protest – Health News – Health & Families". The Independent.
12. (30 January 2010). "Mass "overdose" in Leicester city centre". [[Leicester Mercury]].
13. Merseyside Skeptics Society. "The 10:23 Challenge".
14. Merseyside Skeptics Society. "The 10:23 Challenge 2011".
15. "The 10:23 Challenge 2011 | The 10:23 Campaign | #ten23". 1023.org.uk.
16. "Event Schedule :: QED :: Question Explore Discover". North West Skeptical Events Ltd.
17. Morgan, Rhys. (28 January 2011). "Consumers in Cardiff stage homeopathic 'overdose'". Skeptical.
18. (7 February 2011). "Skepp pleegt collectief zelfmoord". Corelio.
19. {{in lang. nl [http://www.wereldburgers.tv/2011/02/05/homeopathische-zelfmoordpoging/ Homeopathische zelfmoordpoging] {{Webarchive. link. (3 March 2016 wereldburgers.tv. 5 February 2011)
20. (6 February 2011). "Protestující se demonstrativně "předávkovali" homeopatiky". Tyden.cz.
21. "Homeopatika neléčí". Český rozhlas.
22. Munger, Kel. "Drugs, not bugs". Sacramento News Review.
23. "''Mixing Homeopathic "Remedies" for 2011 San Francisco 10:23 "Overdose" ''". 10:23 campaign.
24. (15 February 2011). "No ill effects after public homeopathic overdose". Medical Observer.
25. Plait, Phil. (4 January 2010). "Homeopathy and the 10:23 project". Discover.
26. "Worldwide 10:23 campaign on homeopathy: Feb. 5". Randi.org.
27. (30 January 2010). "Andy Lewis and Simon discuss Homeopathy and the 10:23 Campaign". Simonsingh.net.
28. "Randi issues a Challenge".
29. "Penn Point : Massive Homeopathic Overdose Cures". Youtube.
30. "The 10:23 Event".
31. Randi, James. "''James Randi Speaks Homeopathy Week 2010 ''". [[JREF]].
32. Randi, James. "''James Randi Lecture @ Caltech – Homeopathy ''". [[California Institute of Technology]].
33. Randi, James. "''James Randi's Challenge to Homeopathy Manufacturers and Retail Pharmacies''". [[JREF]].
34. Adam Taor. "Good week for sceptics". The Australian.
35. Caroline Brettingham-Moore. "No ill effects after public homeopathic overdose". The Medical Observer.
36. "Boots hit by mass homeopathy 'overdose'". The Daily Telegraph.
37. Martin Robbins. "Homeopathy: At 10:23 tomorrow we will prove there's nothing in it | Martin Robbins | Life and style". The Guardian.
38. "The British Homeopathic Association dismisses 10:23 campaign". British Homeopathic.
39. "Homeopathy "overdose" to highlight TGA transparency". Pharmacy News.