Medicine: Orthodox, Fringe and Quack

Bernard Howard - 1 November 1987

The meeting organized by Christchurch members on “Medicine: Orthodox, Fringe and Quack” was held in the School of Medicine on 6 December, 1986. It was, as far as can be judged, a success on several counts. It was attended by over 80 people, many of them medical practitioners; the fee charged enabled us to make a small profit; we enrolled some new members; and gained further attention from the news media.

In his introduction, Dr. Denis Dutton, NZCSICOP Chairman, and chairman of the meeting, outlined the aims of “NZ Skeptics”, and explained the reasons for our calling the meeting. When pseudoscience intrudes so widely into health concerns, the rational, critical attitude of NZCSICOP is greatly needed. The meeting aimed to explore dispassionately the different approaches to medicine; we were not out to “get” alternative medicine.

Next, Bernard Howard gave his view of the relations between science and medicine. Medicine can make sound progress only if it is based on the empirical, self-critical, self-adjusting, and self-consistent procedures of science, and if it allows for human error, gullibility, and self-seeking.

Mr Greg Ansley, columnist for the Christchurch Star, made us sit up in good journalistic fashion with his first sentence: “I am going to start with the premise that Milan Brych, charlatan though he may have been, was good for New Zealand. He was good for medicine, good for journalism, and good for the maturity of our society.” After describing Brych’s career, emphasizing his relations with the N.Z. news media, Mr Ansley concluded with the warning that ”… we could have another Brych, or worse, in this country. know about it, and do nothing because we cannot prove it …”, unless changes are made to the laws of defamation.

The way these laws, ostensibly designed to protect the reputations of honest citizens, can be used as a shield by frauds and “con-men”, was dealt with in more detail by Professor Gerald Orchard later in the programme. He gave has a touch of magic about him is a great help in achieving a cure. The “demystifying” of medicine which has accompanied the growth of medical science has been a hindrance to much successful doctoring. If adherents of alternative or fringe medicine were present, they remained silent, and perhaps because of this the tone of the meeting was cool and constructive, and lacked any note of acrimony or dissension. Though all who spoke were committed more or less strongly to orthodox medicine, tolerance seemed the overall mood. The time would appear opportune for “constructive engagement” with the fringe.