A recent thread started by Herd (“One who doesn’t understand X is best qualified to talk about it”) reminded me of the following events, which are even worse than Herd’s point.
A couple of years ago I went to see my doctor about a torn ligament in my shoulder. She was away and so I saw a locum instead. This locum was an elderly lady but presumably sufficiently qualified, and up to date, to practice for the NHS. I told her the problem and she gave me her solution. It was to take a homeopathic medicine. Obviously I was appalled. And had she not been such a sweet old thing I would have given her a piece of my mind!
I went back a few weeks later, saw my usual doctor, and told her what had happened. She said that she sympathized, she was obviously ‘scientifically’ trained herself. “But,” she said, “this is what people want these days.”
And this was more frightening than the old dear with her quack remedies.
What does it matter what people ‘want’? We aren’t talking brand of mobile ‘phone here. How can untrained laypeople ever understand the meaning of ‘science’ and the ‘scientific method’ when even the scientists are colluding in this nonsense?
Well, Darwin will prevail in the end and with a bit of luck practitioners of homeopathy and all their patients and advocates will eliminate themselves from the gene pool.
BTW the proper doctor arranged for some physio for my shoulder and I’m fine now, thanks for asking.
P