Hemming V G
F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799, USA.
Mil Med. 1998 Apr;163(4):265-8.
At the heart of medical science is the responsibility for investigators and practitioners to use the scientific method to seek and apply new knowledge to better understand the mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. At times it is difficult to differentiate hypothesis or speculation from documented fact. This essay describes an episode in human biology and medicine in which authoritative speculation evolved into dogma and impeded investigators' proper interpretation of data about the pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis in infants. Speculation-turned-dogma regarding RSV seriously impeded scientific progress regarding RSV disease for nearly a generation. Teachers, biomedical scientists, and medical practitioners must remain vigilant for unsubstantiated dogma that can seriously impede progress in the medical sciences.
医学科学的核心在于，研究者和从业者有责任运用科学方法去探寻并应用新知识，以更好地理解疾病的机制、诊断、治疗和预防。有时，很难区分假设或推测与已记录的事实。本文描述了人类生物学和医学中的一个事件，在该事件中，权威性的推测演变成了教条，并阻碍了研究者对婴儿呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）细支气管炎发病机制数据的正确解读。关于RSV的推测转变而来的教条，在近一代人的时间里严重阻碍了RSV疾病方面的科学进展。教师、生物医学科学家和医学从业者必须对可能严重阻碍医学科学进步的未经证实的教条保持警惕。
