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From: sdyer@bbncc5.UUCP (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: while my catarrh gently weeps...
Message-ID: <245@bbncc5.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 28-Jul-85 23:42:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: bbncc5.245
Posted: Sun Jul 28 23:42:58 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Jul-85 10:55:10 EDT
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Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, MA
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> Colds clear the body of
> catarrh and other build ups, some sicknesses are the body removing problems.
> The worst thing to do in many cases (and the first thing that doctors often
> do) is to suppress the symptoms.

A child said, What is catarrh?
How could I answer the child?....I do not know what it is any
   more than he.
I guess it must be the aether of indisposition, out of hopeful whole cloth
   woven.
	(with apologies to Walt Whitman)

What we see here in Mr. Stanions' postings, and especially here, is a
return to a totemic pre-Pasteur theory and practice, totally divorced from
scientific principles.  In fact, many of his sentiments would not be out of
place in a 19th century (or earlier) medical essay.  Of course, none of this
has any basis in biology, biochemistry or 20th century medicine.

What is catarrh?  What is it made of?  How does it "build up?"
Why has modern medical science ignored this important, um, thing,
um, waste product, um, elan vital?  Sheesh!

If I seem impatient, it is because of the recycled theories, long
discredited, expressed here by Stanions and his kin which are being passed
off as "medicine."  This isn't medicine, this is folk religion, and it
deserves to be called such.  I can't wait until net.physics readers
have to contend with "phlogiston" and "aether" once again.  I hear
they're coming back in style.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbnccv.ARPA