The Catastrophic Failures of Modern Medicine

(The practice of medicine is embedded with too much intellectual corruption,

though not intentional it starts at university and is sustained by a laziness to think
strongly and independently, and undermines the best possible patient care).
Don’t you tire of hearing on the media about all the wonderful medical advances?
On every news segment there is something about a great breakthrough (in Australia).
(Usually someone who has introduced a technology developed in the US into Australia
and is trying to suggest that they developed it. Recently, it has been found that only one
in fifty Australian companies are interested in innovation. Now, that’s a very sad
commentary)
I suggest you read Le Fanu’s book, The Rise and fall of Modern Medicine-it is the
equivalent of taking a cold shower when you read all this ill founded media hype
About modern medical breakthroughs.
There have been NO major medical break throughs since 1975.
Modern Medicine has failed humanity in the most spectacular way.
It has made many financiers on Wall Street very rich but done little if anything to save
peoples lives.
It is the globalization of economics that have increased the financial status of most
peoples of the world and so made them healthier. NOT any particular medial break
through. For the major (read: old) diseases still ravage humanity (if you are poor).
GET RICH AND STAY HEALTHY.
If you were writing a report (performance) card on Modern medicine, it would be a BIG
Fail (and a go back to first class).
Consider the following:
TB=failure. In 1882 Koch described the pathophysiology of the disease and was told by
the German Kaiser that he was the greatest medical scientist of all time. In fact Koch
beloved that he would soon have the cure for TB. But NO. 125 years later the disease still
ravages humanity. Nothing has changed. One third of humanity is affected. Multi-drug
resistant stains are ravaging Africa. Bill Gates believes that by throwing billions at it he
will cure it; good intentions but unlikely to succeed (a lot of money will probably just
fuel the “TB Industries/Industries”).
Malaria=failure.
Still a major disease, the pathophysiology was describes bed by Sir Ronald Ross in 1898.
No cure or vaccination anywhere in sight.
HIV=failure; now that’s a joke. It represents the very worse in BIG SCIENCE. I first
noticed the disease in 1982 in NYC but failed to put my name to it. I was reading copies
of the NEJM and said to my fiancé of the time about the large number of young males in
their thirties who were developing pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Kaposi’s sarcoma
and dying. What was happening? But 25 years later and with billions spent on research
no vaccination in sight but a lot OF EXCUSES.
Diabetes Control= failure. As a surgeon, you only to amputate one leg to realize the total
failure of our care of diabetics.
Compare this to the great contribution of Jonas Salk to humanity wit the development of
a polio vaccination=SUCCESS in the 1950s. Over night, millions of children were saved
from paralysis and death. He was the greatest medical scientist of the 20th century.
John Hunter, the great Surgeon Scientist of the 17th Century (he laid the scientific basis
for modern surgery) would be kicking our ass for our stupidity. If you don’t believe me
visit the College of Surgeons Hunterian Museum in London to see what this “poorly
educated” genius achieved over 200 years ago. By comparison we are FOOLS.
Medical advances come about by small or core groups of dedicated/fanatical individuals
driven to achieve breakthrough NOT by BIG SCIENCE/ research groups at universities,
think tanks or the research departments of large pharmaceutical companies( their biggest
break through is Viagra or a new perfume).
I am not alone in these views (see
www.qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/98/1/53). BIG SCIENCE, with no ideas
and self-serving, has been a BIG failure. These authors state that no much has happened
since 1965.

Modern Science: Here is your report card (1975- 2007).

Disease Grade Reason/Comment
Tuberculosis, TB Fail Despite over 100 yrs of
scientific effort since Koch
(reported connection between
the bug and TB in 1882), first
drugs for TB introduced in
the 1950s, no cure in sight. A
disease that affects everyone
(Owen Sherry died of it in
1957). Though, our group did
report a new method of
treatment in 2004 (AJIC:
32(6):369-370, October 2004).
Whilst science is failing,
millions of people continue
to die. No vaccination in
sight.
Malaria Fail This disease has killed half of
humanity since the dawn of
time. Sir Ronald Ross in
1898 showed it was
transmitted by mosquitoes
and received a Nobel Prize.
But still no cure or
vaccination. Until recently
the WHO could only
recommend the use of
mosquito nets( sounds like a
scene from SPAMALOT).
Now trialling artemisinin but
resistance being reported.
Also propranolol may help.
Our group, in vitro in 2005 in
KL, showed essential oils
(TTO and Euc) to be
effective.
So how long do we have to
wait here for a proper
vaccination or cure?
HIV Fail (a disease which has New disease (1982), billions
really shown Modern spent, no results seen.
Scientists to be dunces). Spreading like wildfire. Now
adding to the problem of TB.
Recent vaccination trial
stopped in 2007 as a disaster
(causing the disease rather
than preventing it).
Diabetes Fail Great hope at time of
discovery of insulin in
1921/22. But increasing
dramatically in rich
countries, millions lose
legs/eyesight and life.
Polio Pass with High Distinction. All due to Jonas Salk (and
A great cure from the old Sabin) BUT that was in early
fashioned scientific era of the1950s. ? Why no Nobel Prize
1950s when people like for him.
 Jonas Salk just stormed
ahead to develop the
effective vaccination.
MRSA Fail (a disgrace as there is a Out of control in many
current cure which is being countries, some exceptions
ignored). e.g. Germany. In the OR
principles outlined by
Charnley in 1960s but we
still ignore them. MRSA
sufferers are the modern
“lepers” of the Health Care
System. Abandoned.
DNA description Fail. Fail. Fail. (Probably a Hyped as the biggest
blind alley in modern breakthrough of the 20th
medicine). The greatest Century, based largely on the
failure OF ALL. Why. The unacknowledged work of
Modern disease challenge; Rosalind Franklin•, produced
the scientific Genome few if any new drugs, made a
approach used here by all the lot of billionaires on Wall
clever molecular- trained- Street, largely only useful for
scientists, who ALL failed. If Police Work in solving CI
you ever meet a HIV cold cases and for Insurance
specialist you will see that Companies to assess risk in
they hide their sense of life policies.
failure behind their The few clinical applications
arrogance. have ended in disaster
Polypill Pass (but ignored)* Described in 2003(BMJ: 23
June) as a regimen of drugs
to add 10 years to life
expectancy after 55, but too
mundane to attract any
attention AND is off-patent
so no monies for the major
pharmaceuticals. Polypill
A real breakthrough but too
mundane to excite anyone.
Should be part of the
recommended therapy for the
whole population > 55yrs.
Lesser examples
Hip Replacement Fail Considered the most
Operation successful operation
performed in the world with
the greatest cost benefit
analyses to patients and that
is why governments tolerate
the large bill for such
surgery. BUT, it was largely
invented/refined by Sir John
Charnley in the 1960s and
NOT one hip implant has
surpassed it, despite billions
in development since.
Intrameduallry nailing of Fail A great operation for the
the femur or other long rapid management of serious
bones. trauma from war or car
accidents. BUT (again), it
was largely developed by the
German Kuntscher in the
1930s (and later refined by
Huckstep in the 70s). See the
film of Kuntscher doing an
IM nailing and soon your
humility will be rostered or
visit the display of Kuntscher
at the Univ of Kiel in the
Trauma Department to see
what he achieved/did 70
years ago.
And WHY.
Here is my explanation.
1. The discovery of DNA in 1953 has blinded us and led us down a blind path in medical
science. It will be another 25 to 50 years before we emerge and abandon this nonsense,
meanwhile millions of patients will die unnecessarily because of “modern” medicine.
You are no good as a researcher unless you are expert in genomics and you have a big lab
sequencing all of wild life (including the slugs in your garden).
Read EO Wilson’s book, Consilience, 1998, to understand why. A respected biologist and
philosopher who wrote a Unity of Knowledge, and went completely off the track as far as
medical science is concerned. He wants a system from the bottom up, from molecules to
cure, but medicine has never worked this way and CANNOT work this way. People are
dying NOW from diseases 50,000 years old (malaria). We do not have the time to retreat
into our labs and emerge (eons later) with the cure in hand. He saw the age when we will
have described the Human Genome (was in 2001 with Collins and Craig Venter) and
work forward. But the subsequent Brave New Experiments have largely ended in disaster
with Gene Therapy (several Gene-Therapies vector trials have ended in disaster and the
unnecessary death of patients. (www.the-scientist.com/news/display/53453).
(Contrast this with essential oils which have evolved over millions of years and
produced “selected” safe therapies. The natural drug databases of China, India,
Brazil have more wisdom than all the bio labs of the US, UK or Europe).
It is the equivalent of waiting to describe every star, planet, in the Universe before
sending a man to the Moon or Mars. Admirable but silly.
(The equivalent of all this medical hype is String Theory in Physics. A fashionable theory
going no where. Thermodynamics explains everything and that came from the 19th
century).
2. The institutionalization of research. There are large institutes dedicated to TB, HIV and
malaria etc. They have no reason to cure (KILL) their Golden Egg/ Sacred Cash Cow.
Such institutions are self serving, putting all their effort into chasing funding and not to
dealing with the medical problem at hand. I recall the process of getting NH MRC grants.
Huge number of forms to fill out, beyond the patience or capacity of any clinician, which
was only mastered by physicians, who went from one grant application to another with
little thought for the research in between. One Professor, I recall, was very proud of the
fact that he was able to win so many of these grants as if that was an end in itself rather
than research and worthwhile results.
I also was daunted when I walked into the lab of a genetic researcher to see the lab staff
sitting around with an elaborate schedule for coffee breaks on the wall (the sole
achievement of that lab).

3. The rise of epidemiologists in influence in medicinal schools. They intellectually

bludgeon the young and clever into thinking their way (i.e. intellectually corrupt them).
Students think that only huge clinical trials across many hospital and universities can
possibly tell us anything about disease or its cure. All other ( smaller) trials are invalid
and useless. In effect they have handed the verification of medical science over to large
pharmaceuticals who are the only ones able to afford such huge trials.Meta analyses is the
mantra of epidemiologists. They pray to this concept and it is regurgitated down the
throats of medical students. But the drug companies know how to use this to produce
results which suit them. There is one major problem with Meta analyses and it is this:
It worships what is published in what they consider worthy journals. Only this info is to
be considered. So it is already working on a skewed collection of information.
It ignores all the useful and worthwhile clinical experiences of clinicians reported all over
the world and at numerous meetings.
Everyone knows that the least busy clinicians publish and the at the busy ones
Do not write as the editors of many of these worthy journals set impossible standards that
only they know or can achieve.
Epidemiologists are usually failed clinical doctors, who have managed to dominate the
thinking at most medical schools. Because they don’t want to retreat patients they get
jobs in academia at universities and medical schools and managed to dominate the
thinking of medical students.
As a result, they have handed over the whole intellectual basis of the development of a
few drugs (and remember this amounts to three quarter of all medical therapy) to The Big
Drug Companies. They have provided the intellectual justification which allows these big
companies to exist.
Large, multi centre drug trials are required, in their opinion, to verify new drugs.
Universities and MOST government cannot afford to develop then test new drugs in this
way.
So guess what.
The big companies get to do it, collect their own data, manipulated it (and there is a lot of
evidence to justify this accusation) and then use this to market their own products.
Unbelievable. The timid epidemiologists have encouraged this.
Therefore, Universities, most hospitals and ALL individuals cannot possibly carry our
worthwhile research as they are too small to be adequately funded to produce
“Valid” results.
A glaring example of this thinking is the Cochrane Project. Started with good intention
but quite silly.
It asks volunteers to spend (waste) their time sifting though the evidence to validate
known treatments. Most of these efforts report that there is NO strong evidence to
support such and such therapy. So what are we to do?
Wait for the big, “proper” trials to be done, sit on our hands as patients die, even though
we know from our own empirical series that such therapy works.
What these people don’t realize it that the majority of clinicians do NOT publish a word,
yet have a huge and worthwhile clinical wisdom/experience. Less than 1% of orthopaedic
surgeons publishes or presents their work at meetings. The ones who publish are usually
the ones who are not busy, with a lot of time on their hands to write. The writers represent
less than 5-10% of all worthwhile knowledge. This rich resource needs to be tapped into.
We need to set up a database of clinical knowledge based upon the Google concept
whereby statements of treatment are supported by the number of hits generated. That way
we come to the truth by numbers/democratic system.
We need a system to harvest the experience of all these worthy clinicians into our
knowledge databases (maybe akin to the way Google works by basing searches on
the most commonly accessed information as a basis for validity).
BMC (www.jmedicalcasereports.com) to its credit has created a journal of case reports
(this is something epidemiologists detest as they represent the thinking of clinicians and
are only small numbers).
(Private opinions of E[sic])

*The American chestnut grew abundantly in the US (from Georgia to Maine), but we
started to tinker with it (hoping to improve on its great success), modifying it and so it
became blighted with disease from 1904 on and have almost destroyed it (Nature, 450/8,
p 169 Nov 2007).
We are now starting on Human beings with Genetic Engineering.
Meta analyses are the mantra of epidemiologists. They pray to this concept and it is
regurgitated down the throats of medical students. But the drug companies know how to
use this to produce results which suit them.
There is one major problem with Meta analyses and it is this:
It worships what is published in what they consider worthy journals... Only this info is to
be considered. So it is already working on a skewed collection of information.
It ignores all the useful and worthwhile clinical experiences of clinicians reported all over
the world and at numerous meetings.
Genetic Engineering…useless, produced one or two drugs, where it has become
ambitious it has produced disasters (BMJ 2005; 331:895-897 (15 October),
Disappointing biotech.Roberta Joppi et al). Biotech ha produced only new drugs from
1995-2003,
The large proportion of drugs copying existing products suggests that market interests predominate in 
biotechnology as in other pharmaceutical research. Indeed, most such copies fail to offer new options for 
patients or public health, providing no advantage, even in terms of In conclusion, the promises of 
biotechnology substances to be more effective and less toxic than conventional drugs have been only 
partially fulfilled. Many of the substances produced so far are analogues of existing drugs and have 
contributed little to innovation in medicine. Nevertheless, biotechnology has made it possible to make 
available drugs that would otherwise be impossible to obtain in large amounts or research tools that are 
useful for discovering new drugs. Let us hope that in future biotechnology will better live up to its promises . 
• Read JD Watson’s latest book, Avoid Boring  People., published 2007, pages 104­109, it’s sad to see the 
put down of R Franklin, on whose work the DNA description was based and the Nobel prize won. When JD 
Watson passes, more on this matter will emerge.