The Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij or VtdK is a Dutch organisation that investigates the claims of alternative medicine and opposes quackery.
Beginnings
The organisation was founded in 1881 and is the oldest skeptical organisation in the world. It has published its magazine Nederlands Tijdschrift tegen de Kwakzalverij ever since. In its early years, the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij played a part in the professionalisation of medicine. Its efforts in the public debate helped to make the Netherlands one of the first countries with governmental drug regulation.
Growth
Initially, quackery mainly consisted of the unauthorized practice of medicine and the peddling of "secret remedies". By the 1950s, its focus shifted to magnetizers. Since the 1980s, it has fought against so-called alternative medicine. Primary targets are Chinese acupuncture, homeopathy, manipulative therapy, anthroposophical medicine and naturopathy.
Recently
In 2000, it published a list of what it called the "greatest quacks of the 20th century". That led to legal and financial troubles. In 2003, it began to award the annual Meester Kackadorisprijs to discourage influential people from spreading quackery. The mock award frequently makes the national news.
Goal
The VtdK opposes all medical and paramedical treatments that are not scientifically substantiated. It concerns those "that are not supported by testably logical or empirically viable hypotheses and theories" and/or "that are actively distributed amongst the public, while no testing on its efficaciousness and safety has taken place within the professional group". The VtdK stresses that "the term kwakzalver or kwakzalverij does not necessarily constitute an accusation of bad faith or fraud." When asked in a 2015 interview, "What are the greatest challenges the Dutch skeptics face?" Catherine de Jong responded that they are seeing alt med "creep into schoolbooks". Small newspapers and advertisers are seeing quack operators infiltrate unsuspecting news media with sciencey sounding claims. Some are advertisements for alt med doctors, other articles are "health scares" or misinformation. One example she gave was a food blogger writing that honey when baking is healthier than sugar. When VtdK made the newspaper aware of this, the newspaper apologized and pulled the article.
Membership
Past chair Catherine de Jong responding to a question about the makeup of members, stated that about half are involved in the medical profession. The other half are very necessary as they provide assistance as lawyers and other help. She stated that everyone is welcome to join VtdK, "we need all kinds".
Activities
Ever since its foundation in 1881 the organisation has published a magazine, currently titled Nederlands Tijdschrift tegen de Kwakzalverij. Since 2003 it annually hands out the Meester Kackadorisprijs, a mock award given to the person or organisation that is deemed to have promoted quackery the most that year.
Controversies
Mayita Sickesz
The aforementioned list of "greatest quacks of the 20th century" included Mayita Sickesz, a Dutch doctor who claims to be able to cure autism, depression, schizophrenia and several other diseases through an unconventional treatment similar to chiropractichealth care. Sickesz pressed charges and in 2005 lost the case. In 2007, on appeal, she won. This brought the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij in financial troubles. The verdict was much criticized and Netherlands national newspaperde Volkskrant listed it as number one in their top ten of legal failures that year. The verdict was overturned in May 2009, because a judge decided that using a narrow definition of the word kwakzalver that a previous ruling was forcing the group to defend in a libel case, was incompatible with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In 2001 Dutch celebrity Sylvia Millecam died as a result of breast cancer. She had refused conventional medical treatment, opting for alternative medicine instead. After her death the public prosecutor pressed charges against two alternative health care providers and the self-proclaimed "healing medium" Jomanda. The prosecutor dropped these charges after concluding that Millecam had made up her own mind about her treatment. At this point the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij together with Stichting Skepsis took legal steps forcing the prosecutor to continue his case. This resulted in a 2009 verdict against the two alternative health care providers, but acquittal for Jomanda.
