BMJ  2004;328 (19 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7454.0-h

Editor's choice

Doctors are not scientists

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Some doctors are scientists—just as some politicians are scientists—but most are not. As medical students they were filled full with information on biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, and other sciences, but information does not a scientist make—otherwise, you could become a scientist by watching the Discovery channel. A scientist is somebody who constantly questions, generates falsifiable hypotheses, and collects data from well designed experiments—the kind of people who brush their teeth on only one side of their mouth to see whether brushing your teeth has any benefit. Most doctors follow familiar patterns and rules, often improvising around those rules. In their methods of working they are more like jazz musicians than scientists.

Questioning whether doctors are scientists may seem outrageous, but most doctors know that they are not scientists. I once asked a room of perhaps 150 medically trained educators which of them thought of themselves as scientists. About five put up . . . [Full text of this article]

Richard Smith, editor

rsmith@bmj.com


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Smith, R. (2004). Travelling but never arriving: reflections of a retiring editor. BMJ 329: 242-244 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

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Do doctors need to be scientists?
Abdul M Khan
bmj.com, 18 Jun 2004 [Full text]
Neither scientists nor nutritionists - perhaps artists?
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Scientists mind
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Jazz Musicians have to study too!
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A doctor is one who gives the right answers
Akheel A Syed
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If only !!
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Good lord deliver us
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From bench to bedside, and back again
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Emergencies Only, Please
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