O. Carl Simonton
American oncologist (1942-2009)
O. Carl Simonton (June 29, 1942 – June 18, 2009) was a specialist in radiology and oncology most notable for his unproven cancer treatment methods.
Career
He founded and directed the Simonton Cancer Center (SCC) in Malibu (USA) and was one of the pioneers of psycho-oncology. For over 30 years he worked with cancer patients who wanted to actively support their recovery process. Key elements of his philosophy and techniques affect the practical consulting work in the psycho-oncology in the United States, Europe and Japan.
Criticism
Simonton was the author of the book Getting Well Again (1992). He claimed that cancer can be treated by relaxation and visualization techniques and that patients were healed using his methods. However, an investigation into five of his most impressive cases discovered that some of his patients had undergone standard treatment or probably did not have cancer to begin with. Medical health experts describe his therapy as dubious.
Physician Edward R. Friedlander, who investigated Simonton's techniques in depth, noted that although some patients found his approach helpful, his case histories are "very poor evidence" for the claim that his treatment controls tumours.
Psychologist Tomasz Witkowski devoted a whole chapter of his book Psychology Led Astray: Cargo Cult in Science and Therapy to Simonton and his method and concluded: "A deadly illness and its terminus are extreme situations; too difficult to be judged from the perspective of an outsider.
“O. Carl Simonton” enters the record as american oncologist (1942-2009). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Carl, Simonton and American can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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