Willem (Wim) Betz (22 February 1943 – 8 June 2019) was a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

physician and professor emeritus at the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

university

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking research university located in Brussels, Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish Community, Flemish gov ...

(VUB), where he was head of the center for training in general medical practice until November 2007. Betz was a leading

skeptic Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...

in Flanders and participant in the ''EU COST B4 Project'' (a European initiative for comprehensive research on complementary and alternative medicine). He was a founding member, president and vice-president of the Belgian skeptic organisation SKEPP.

Biography

After twenty years as a general practitioner, he turned full-time to the teaching of general medical practice as well as conducting scientific research. He took courses in several types of alternative medicine (

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dis ...

, neural therapy,

manual therapy Manual therapy, or manipulative therapy, is a physical treatment primarily used by physical therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists to treat musculoskeletal pain and disability; it mostly includes kneading and manipulation of mus ...

) and practiced them successfully. However, he started to question the explanations given for the successes that were being claimed by alternative treatments and began to investigate the existing evidence for these methods. According to Betz, the explanations can be found in the field of psychosomatics (which studies how the mind can affect the body), in the

placebo effect A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

, in the fact that many illnesses disappear spontaneously (e.g., common colds) or fluctuate (e.g., allergies), as well as in the deceptive methods of

quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...

Skeptic

Betz was a co-founder of SKEPP, a non-profit organisation that promotes scientific skepticism in Belgium, where he started as secretary and then led as president and vice-president from 2005 to 2013. At SKEPP he was the expert in alternative medicine and the relevant legislation. He has participated actively in the debate on

near-death experience A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound personal experience associated with death or impending death which researchers claim share similar characteristics. When positive, such experiences may encompass a variety of sensations including detac ...

s, following the publication of an article by the Dutch cardiologist

Pim van Lommel Pim van Lommel (born 15 March 1943) is a Dutch author and researcher in the field of near-death studies. Education and career He studied medicine at Utrecht University, specializing in cardiology. He worked as a cardiologist at the Rijnstate ...

. Betz was also involved in the creation of the ''EU COST B4'' Report. The report describes the scientific criteria and conditions for alternative medical practices before they can be recognized as a medical profession. Betz is also a fellow of the

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the US non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "prom ...

. Betz became professor emeritus in October 2007. He died on 8 June 2019 after a long illness.

Awards

In 2012 Betz was presented with the

European Council of Skeptical Organisations The European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO) is an umbrella of skeptical organisations in Europe. Goals Founded on 25 September 1994, the ECSO aims to co-ordinate activities of European organisations and individuals that aim at critic ...

' ''Outstanding Skeptics Award'' at the 6th World Skeptics Congress. Sarma, Amardeo. . Uploaded 16 June 2012 by . Awarded the ''Gebroeders Bruinsma Erepenning'' by

Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij The Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij or VtdK (English: ''Association Against Quackery'' or ''Society Against Quackery'') is a Dutch organisation that investigates the claims of alternative medicine and opposes quackery. Beginnings The organisat ...

(Society against Quackery).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Betz, Wim Flemish physicians Belgian skeptics 1943 births 2019 deaths