  We present a critical overview comparing theoretical predictions and
measurements of Van der Waals dispersion forces in media on the basis of the
respective Hamaker constants. To quantify the agreement, we complement the
reported experimental errors with those for the theoretical predictions, which
are due to uncertainties in the underlying spectroscopic data. Our main finding
is that the theoretical errors are often larger than their experimental
counterparts. Within these uncertainties, the comparison confirms the standard
Lifshitz theory based on the Abraham electromagnetic stress tensor against the
recently suggested alternative account on the basis of the Maxwell stress
tensor.
