The Phantom Physician: How America's Most Dangerous Medical Misinformation Empire Was Built by Ghosts

In the shadowy corners of the Internet, anonymous figures are making millions spreading deadly lies about vaccines while children pay the ultimate price.

By Josh Powell

Author’s Note: When I mentioned this article to a friend, she wondered with concern whether I might face legal repercussions from the so-called "Midwestern Doctor."

I practically cackled.

Sue me? This phantom practitioner would have to emerge from his or her carefully constructed anonymity —fully exposed, names attached, real identities blazing under the klieg lights of legal discovery. This entire cottage industry depends on the opposite: lurking behind pseudonyms while harvesting Substack subscriptions from the credulous masses hungry for medical misinformation served with a side of folksy authority.

If The Midwestern Doctor dragged me into court, I'd be performing a public service. The exposure would be fatal to his or her business model. This charlatan would sooner sprout wings and attempt a lunar expedition than risk having their identity scrutinized in open court. Without their shadowy mystique, they'd lose both their ego-stroking audience and their revenue stream.