Evan Shute

Evan Vere Shute (October 21, 1905 – 1978) F.R.C.S.C. was a Canadian obstetrician, poet and writer best known for advocating vitamin E therapy to treat cardiovascular disease and many other diseases. His studies were not controlled and his results were not confirmed by other medical researchers.

Biography

Shute was born in Bruce County and was raised on a farm near Lion's Head with his younger brothers Wilfrid and Wallace. His parents were Richard James Shute and Elizabeth Jane Treadgold. Shute and his brothers became medical doctors. Evan and Wilfrid graduated from the University of Toronto.

Vitamin E therapy

In the 1930s, Shute and his brother Wilfrid, a cardiologist, became advocates of Vitamin E therapy. In 1946, Shute, Wilfrid and Albert Vogelsang reported that large doses of vitamin E are beneficial to treat four major types of heart disease. However, these claims were not confirmed by the medical community. In 1949, the Shute Institute began to publish the journal, The Summary. This was published because Shute had difficulty publishing his research in North American medical journals.

Shute stated that vitamin E could be used to treat heart disease as he had used it to treat his mother's angina attacks. In 1954, Shute and his brother received widespread media coverage as the Time magazine published a supportive article on their vitamin E therapy. Shute lectured on the subject but after clinical trials did not support his claims he was barred from addressing major medical conferences. During this time, many dangerous and unproven health claims were being promoted about vitamin E therapy causing the United States Postal Service to ban vitamin E literature with unproven health claims from the mail.

By 1972, the sales of vitamin E in the United States had increased by 500%. The same year, Shute told Newsweek that "It provides better circulation and enhances the power of the muscles. Almost nothing in the body wouldn't be improved by a large intake of vitamin E."

Criticism

Shute's health claims about vitamin E have never been scientifically demonstrated. Drs. Robert E. Olson, Robert Hodges and Terence Anderson who examined Shute's claims found that vitamin E therapy has no benefit for angina from well-designed studies published between 1946 and 1972.

Creationism

Shute was a Christian and old earth creationist who authored the book Flaws in the Theory of Evolution, in 1966. Shute aimed for a wide audience and did not cite any Biblical passages in the book but made frequent references to the "Creator" and "Grand Designer". Tom McIver has noted that Shute "dismisses, the standard biological evidence for evolution, including embryological evidence, vestigial organs, serology (biochemistry), and biogeography. He argues that parasite life-cycles, mimicry, interdependence of species, instinct, social insects, and many other examples of extraordinary adaptations refute evolution." The National Center for Science Education has negatively reviewed the book for misrepresenting evidence for evolution from the fossil record and ignoring basic biological facts regarding species. The book was criticized for making non-scientific arguments for a Grand Designer.

Selected publications

As Vere Jameson

Moths After Midnight (1945) The Sultan Of Jobat (1947) Omar From Nishapur (1948) Where The Heron Stands (1949) Sky Painter (1951) The Trumpets Fade (1973)

As Evan Shute

The Influence of Vitamin E on Vascular Disease (with Arthur B. Vogelsang, Floyd R. Skelton and Wilfrid E. Shute, 1948) Therapeutic Uses of Vitamin E (with Wilfrid E. Shute, 1953) Your Heart and Vitamin E (with Wilfrid E. Shute, 1956) Common Questions On Vitamin E and Their Answers (1961) Flaws in the Theory of Evolution (1966) The Heart and Vitamin E (1963, 1969) The Vitamin E Story: The Medical Memoirs of Evan Shute (with James C. M. Shute, 1985)