Sustaining membership lecture award. Dogma, the shade that blinds.
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.
Hemming
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F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799, USA.
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000276:immunology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014765:Viral Vaccines