Young J H
Yale J Biol Med. 1980 Nov-Dec;53(6):555-66.
Throughout the nineteenth century, physicians assumed the major task of analyzing and warning against quackery and unorthodoxy. The nature of this criticism is described, with key reliance on Worthington Hooker's Lessons from the History of Medical Delusions (1850). Most physicians viewed prospects for suppressing quackery more hopefully than Hooker did. Even he, however, would be shocked that delusion could persist so stubbornly despite advancing medical science, expanding education, and increasing regulation. Many factors help explain today's continuing-even burgeoning-quackery. These include a less cheerful view of both human nature and of the future, widespread skepticism about the fruits for science, impatience with governmental regulation, the vogue for self-help in health, increasing promotional sophistication on the part of unorthodox health vendors, and cooperation among various wings of unorthodoxy to maximize political pressure. Examples are given. Champions of alternative therapies predict their triumph over orthodox medical science in the contest being waged for the allegiance of the public.
在整个19世纪，医生承担着分析和警示庸医行为及非正统疗法的主要任务。本文描述了这种批评的性质，主要依据沃辛顿·胡克的《医学错觉史的教训》（1850年）。大多数医生对压制庸医行为的前景比胡克更乐观。然而，即使是他，也会对尽管医学科学不断进步、教育不断扩展、监管不断加强，错觉却仍能如此顽固地存在感到震惊。许多因素有助于解释如今庸医行为持续存在甚至不断滋生的现象。这些因素包括对人性和未来不那么乐观的看法、对科学成果的普遍怀疑、对政府监管的不耐烦、健康领域自助的流行趋势、非正统健康产品供应商促销手段日益复杂，以及非正统各方面为最大化政治压力而进行的合作。文中给出了相关例子。替代疗法的支持者预言，在为赢得公众忠诚而展开的竞争中，他们将战胜正统医学科学。
