Doctors are not scientists but we still need science

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7460.294-b

BMJ 2004;329:294 (31 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7460.294-b

Letter

Doctors are not scientists but we still need science

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

EDITOR—It takes guts for a medical editor to disabusehis readers of their most cherished assumption that doctorsare scientists, but it is true that they are not.¹

We doctors like people to think we know what we're talking about,and may be so convincing that we convince ourselves too. Becauseother people's lives depend on it, we have a big emotional needto be right and are uncomfortable with the thought that noneof us really knows enough to be a good doctor. Even if we knoweverything that is known, we still don't know that which isyet unknown.

Scientists, on the other hand, are very comfortable with theunknown; it is their bread and butter. When scientists disagreethere is no more at stake than the scientists' amour propre,whereas medical disputes get rancorous because forever in thebackground is the thought that the . . . [Full text of this article]

David L J Freed, allergist (private)

14 Marston Road, Salford M7 4ER dljfreed@doctors.org.uk