You think this is a Chiddush? Of course science makes mistakes, but to say that science is a "low yield endeavor" speaks volumes about this author's bias and obtuseness. How incredibly stupid! If I sat here typing for a year I couldn't scratch the surface of the accomplishments we've benefited from in the last century alone. It's absurdly easy to take pot shots at any large institution or process, especially one like science that, by definition, progresses via trial and error.
I supposed your implied reason for posting this is as feeble attempt to undermine the idea of "brain death". Of course, that's just as ridiculous. Yes, it's possible that 100 years from now we my find a way to "reverse" brain death. So what? In the time of the gemorah they thought that someone who's heart stopped beating and/or stopped breathing was also dead. Guess what? They're not. It's just that they didn't know CPR or have the means to defibrillate a heart.
We have to deal with what we know now as best as we can. Just like they did back then. I know you'd like to impute some kedusha to their medical knowledge, but I'm sorry, if this guy's article shows that, with all of our increased technical knowledge and abilities we can still make mistakes, how much more so in such a primitive medical (scientific) era?
One of the things medical schools now train their students in is the interpretation of studies. It's not a simple matter of reading through and assimilating the conclusion as gospel. There are critical analysis tools we are taught to use when approaching a paper. My favourite is turning to the last page and looking at who paid for the trial. If it's the drug company that makes the medication in the trial, I usually toss the study out. Like any used car salesman, the drug companies will produce what they must to sell the product. Like any good consumer, a doctor should know how to read the literature and get the information he needs.
You think this is a Chiddush? Of course science makes mistakes, but to say that science is a "low yield endeavor" speaks volumes about this author's bias and obtuseness. How incredibly stupid! If I sat here typing for a year I couldn't scratch the surface of the accomplishments we've benefited from in the last century alone. It's absurdly easy to take pot shots at any large institution or process, especially one like science that, by definition, progresses via trial and error.
ReplyDeleteI supposed your implied reason for posting this is as feeble attempt to undermine the idea of "brain death". Of course, that's just as ridiculous. Yes, it's possible that 100 years from now we my find a way to "reverse" brain death. So what? In the time of the gemorah they thought that someone who's heart stopped beating and/or stopped breathing was also dead. Guess what? They're not. It's just that they didn't know CPR or have the means to defibrillate a heart.
We have to deal with what we know now as best as we can. Just like they did back then. I know you'd like to impute some kedusha to their medical knowledge, but I'm sorry, if this guy's article shows that, with all of our increased technical knowledge and abilities we can still make mistakes, how much more so in such a primitive medical (scientific) era?
One of the things medical schools now train their students in is the interpretation of studies. It's not a simple matter of reading through and assimilating the conclusion as gospel. There are critical analysis tools we are taught to use when approaching a paper.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite is turning to the last page and looking at who paid for the trial. If it's the drug company that makes the medication in the trial, I usually toss the study out.
Like any used car salesman, the drug companies will produce what they must to sell the product. Like any good consumer, a doctor should know how to read the literature and get the information he needs.