A lesson in humility: Reviewing medical 'truths'
06/30/25 at 03:00 AM
A lesson in humility: Reviewing medical 'truths'
Medscape podcast; by Neil Skolnik; 6/25/25
In this month's column, Dr Neil Skolnik delivers a lesson in humility by providing an overview of medical interventions that were obviously correct — until science proved otherwise. These examples serve not as an admonishment of medical practice, but rather as a reminder to physicians and scientists to always examine their assumptions and stay up to date with research, because our understanding of disease states and treatment courses can always change. Although we've come a long way, Dr Skolnik offers this advice: "Good medical advice moves in a zigzag path toward truth, and those who offer it must not pretend to know all the answers."