I was appalled by the article by psychiatrist Walter A. Brown in defense of alternative medicine, in particular by his statement that "unproved alternative therapies do have a place in science-based health care." He further states that "that place has been defined not by experts on either side but by the consumers."
Would it follow, then, that creationism be taught equally with evolution, and astrology with the sciences? Certainly creationism and astrology have as many followers (consumers) as alternative medicine.
No. To paraphrase the editors of The New England Journal of Medicine: It is time we stop giving these people a free ride.
- Bernard F. Erlanger, Ph.D.
- Professor of Microbiology
- Columbia University
- 701 W. 168th St.
- New York, NY 10032
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