Includes bibliographical references and index.

Prospect theory : the risks we choose to live with and why -- The precautionary principle: the politics of pseudocertainty -- Insta-Americans : the rise of online self-diagnosis -- A damaging precedent : the side effects of the Vioxx panic -- Web of fear : vaccines, autism, and the emergence of "instant experts" -- The suicide crisis : sowing fear about antidepressants -- Assault on scientists : the conflict-of-interest canard -- Tabloid medicine's victims : public health and medical progress -- Battling tabloid medicine : the personalized medicine revolution.

Argues that false and misleading medical information on the Internet has lead to a culture of fear where people avoid much-needed medicines and vaccines and development of these treatments is at an all-time low.