‘The Johnson & Johnson Files’ review: The Indian Express journalist Kaunain Sheriff M exposes the global giant’s dark legacy in India

In an essay entitled ‘History’, written in November 1918, the German Nobel Laureate and author Herman Hesse notes, “I was becoming distrustful of voices from outside, and the more official they were, the more I distrusted them.” Applying this professionally as an orthopaedic surgeon, I can re-frame Hesse’s insightful quote: I am becoming more and more distrustful of voices from implant companies, and the more corporate and global they are in reach, the more I distrust them.

Kaunain Sheriff’s excellent investigative book, The Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secret of a Global Giant, further strengthens my mistrust. I generally thought that implant companies are the best representations of what we call the crisis of capitalism — make money at the cost of compassion, humanity, relationsh