Book sales suspended by CBS Medical contributor David Agus after allegations of plagiarism

Simon & Schuster has announced that it will cease sales The Book of Animal Secrets from Dr. David B. Agus Amid Plagiarism Allegations.

The Los Angeles Times reports that it found at least 95 separate passages in Agus’ book that appeared almost verbatim in other publications on the Internet. The fragments are not mentioned in Agus’ book.

Agus is a USC oncologist who writes regularly for CBS News. His book was due to hit stores on March 7.

“Numerous problems connected with the text of The Book of Animal Secrets by David B. Agus, managing director (Simon & Schuster, March 7) was brought to the attention of the author and Simon & Schuster,” the editor announced. “We take this matter as seriously as the author and regret that these errors were included in early editions of the book. Dr. Agus decided with our full support to recall the book at his own expense until a fully revised and corrected edition can be issued, to which dr. Agus is currently working. We currently have no expected release date for the new version of the book. As a result, Simon & Schuster has stopped distributing the book in all formats and we have advised our retail and distribution partners to return copies of the book.”

Agus also published this statement: “I was recently made aware of this in writing The Book of Animal Secrets We have relied on passages from various sources without attribution and use words by other authors. I sincerely apologize to the scientists and authors whose work or words have been used or not fully credited. Since I take all claims of plagiarism seriously, I will immediately take two steps. First I asked the publisher to stop publishing the book in all formats. Second, I will rewrite the affected sections in a new language, provide accurate and complete source references, and announce a new publication date when I’m done. These corrections will be included in all future printings and editions of the book. Authors should always be given credit for their work and I deeply regret these errors and the lack of rigor in completing the book. This book contains important health lessons, messages and guidelines that I wanted to convey to readers. I don’t want these failures to get in the way of that effort. Again, my apologies.”

Agus’ previous books are The End of Illness. A Short Guide to Long Life and the Happy Years: How to Thrive in the Brave New World of Health, all New York Times bestsellers. Agus recently titled a new documentary for Paramount+ Review with Dr. David Agus.