Breasts and Reason
Today the FDA begins a two day hearing on whether to okay silicone breast implants for general cosmetic use, years after bogus health scares drove the devices off the market, bankrupted their leading manufacturer, and made trial lawyers very rich.
Long time Reason subscribers will recall our coverage of this topic from the get go, including these articles:
Science and Vanity
Implants: Medicine, Feminism and Freedom, by Virginia Postrel (January 1992)
A Confederacy of Boobs
How special interests, assorted ideologues, and a sensationalist press torpedoed breast implants and now threaten other medical devices, by Michael Fumento (October 1995)
Abreast of History
Believe it or not, breast implants are more important than the New Hampshire primary, by Virginia Postrel (January 1996)
The Enemy Within
Litigants and activists blame implants for just about any symptom reported by a woman who has them, by Jacob Sullum (December 9, 1998)
Rumor Mongers
"Neutral" technocrats sign on to anti-technology smear campaigns, by Virginia Postel (February 1999)
This calls for commercial exploitation: Why not subscribe to Reason today—and stay, er, abreast of other myths that will unravel in the coming decade?