The rise and rise of alternative medicine

Abstract

Before scientific medicine appeared on the scene less than 200 years ago, alternative medicine existed side by side with what was considered to be college-certified medical practice. Surgery took a bit longer to become an academic discipline, looked down on by medical doctors and was, for a long time restricted to unqualified barbers. Since then, with the application of the scientific method, medicine has made, and is still making enormous strides. We do not accept anymore anecdotal evidence. We do not think highly of articles which are not peer reviewed. We are ready to accept criticism and modification of long-held dogma: a typical example of this is the ready acceptance of H. pylori as a cause of gastric ulcer rather than the long-held theory of hyperacidity due to vagal stimulation.