When you think about how we treat patients, it actually is very similar to how a scientist runs experiments. A doctor knows the basic science concerning a problem (the physiology of the patient complaint), he or she posits a hypothesis as to what is causing that problem (differential diagnosis), the doctor then performs a physical exam, obtains patient vitals, and lab tests (laboratory studies) that are all used to back up the hypothesis, with enough data to back up that hypothesis it then becomes a theory (diagnosis), and finally the doctor uses that theory to treat the patient's problem. So even though many today would not immediately associate the word "scientist" with the word "doctor", that is exactly what we are at our most fundamental.
We go through this logic process everyday, a process developed hundreds of years ago, and everyday we see it work these tiny miracles. I remember seeing salt fall out of solution for the first time, you have this pristine decanter of water and then suddenly it's as if this tiny world inside of the water is magically created as minuscule crystals fall to the bottom of the glass, seemingly out of nowhere...it was beautiful and it was awe inspiring. Hearing me talk about it maybe you can see how we get caught up in it at times. Sounds harmless doesn't it...even fun?
I remember my first class in evolution. I remember how logical it all was, how through the scientific process I came to believe in something that I had been taught as "wrong" by the teachings of my church, my high school, and even my own parents...that kind of thing isn't harmless...any process that has the ability to change beliefs so profoundly is dangerous...it has killed people. Reconciling my science with my religion was one of the single greatest challenges I have ever faced. If you decide to follow the path of a scientist and you do so while carrying a fair amount of personal beliefs, as I did, prepare to have those beliefs challenged...you may even run the risk of having those beliefs damaged irreparably.
I've been dwelling on this for most of my life and only within the last couple of years have I found any peace with it. It's a complex issue. I don't condone one side or the other, for my part I'm of both sides. I'm a Christian and a Scientist. I don't believe one side negates the other as many do.
There is a common parable that those who support creationism often bring up when trying to convince the other side of their folly. You are walking alone on a beach. You come across a finely made Swiss watch buried in the sand. Do you assume that it appeared out of thin air or do you assume that something of such craftsmanship had a maker?
Personally, I find the analogy of life to a great marble pantheon buried in the sand more to my liking. Could something this complex and amazing be created by the wear of water and wind...yes it could. If time is infinite then even as unlikely as it is that something like that could occur by chance, it is actually possible. Could it be possible that someone or something has such vast and amazing powers that it could singularly create something so majestic and beautiful directly out of nothing, I'd agree with that as well. Could it be that God made the wind and the water that wore the rock into the pantheon, that he is so vastly powerful that he can indirectly build such a beautiful thing with no real imprint of his artistry save the beauty that he bestows upon it...that's more where I stand. Any of these hypothesis' are as likely as the other, the question isn't what your preacher believes or what the doctor writing this blog believes, it's what do you believe? YOU answer that question for you and you alone and it's your faith in that answer that gets you by, whatever that answer may be. Good luck : )
Newbie Doc
PS I won't speak on this subject anymore, it's heavy and boring to some, but I had to talk about it a little. It's a big part of medicine/science for me. Thanks for bearing with me.
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time
