> As far as I can tell, most medicine is by guess and by
> golly. It's an art, not a science. There has been a
> lot of progress in the last 100 or so years, but even
> so it is pretty much a matter of seeing what works.
> Medical doctors are also incredibly arrogant given how
> little they know.
Not quite true. Of course, all empirical science is, in a sense, a matter of "seeing what works," but if you mean that there are no well-established theories behind current medical practice, that is manifestly inaccurate. For example, there is a very broad range of biochemical knowledge behind the desigining of molecular structures of drugs for specific purposes, and the candidate drugs are then tested in animals and humans through a long testing process which relies on a lot of scientific knowledge. Yes, the drug companies charge us exorbitant amounts for the damned things, but they don't just throw a bunch of chemicals at the wall and see what sticks, as it were.
As for the arrogance of doctors, some are, and some are quite humble. Just as with lefties: some of them are pretty arrogant, given how little they know, too. <g>
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ When I was a little boy, I had but a little wit, 'Tis a long time ago, and I have no more yet; Nor ever ever shall, until that I die, For the longer I live the more fool am I. -- Wit and Mirth, an Antidote against Melancholy (1684)