Universidad Médica Pinareña (Jan 2020)

Pseudosciences in the history of medical practice

  • Alain Areces-López

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 1
pp. e385 – e385

Abstract

Read online

Introduction: while the history of medicine enjoys great feats and discoveries, there were also chaotic moments in which it became a victim and resource for the application of inappropriate methods and with no scientific basis. Objective: to assess the historical significance of pseudoscientific practices in medicine and their reach in today society. Method: materials from different bibliographic sources related to the branches of knowledge such as Sociology History, Public Health, Psychology and Medicine available in specialized journals and on Internet were compiled; they were processed through empirical methods such as observation-description, and theoretical as analysis-synthesis and historical-logical. Conclusions: there have been many pseudoscientific practices that in certain historical and social contexts found the conditions for development and dissemination, causing disastrous effects for medical practice, deceptively influencing people's health, undermining the scientific method and hindering progress of medical sciences. The strict adherence of medicine to the scientific method and the search for truth in evidence is significant to its practice for the noble benefit of humanity.

Keywords