Further to my earlier post on the interaction between science and medicine, I recently asked ChatGPT to provide a historical overview of the role and contribution of chemistry in medical development, using the discovery of antibiotics as an example.
The results were quite revealing. The history clearly shows that medicines were developed through the work of chemists, while physicians primarily provided clinical observations. This collaboration once defined true medical progress — observation by physicians and discovery, isolation, and synthesis by chemists.
The same model should have been followed in the case of viruses. Physicians observed that people were becoming sick and assumed there must be a tiny infectious particle — which they named a “virus.” At that point, they should have sought the expertise of chemists to identify, isolate, and characterize this supposed causal agent. If such a particle truly existed, chemistry would have revealed its structure and properties.
But that never happened. Instead, physicians created stories and theories based on their assumptions and sold them to the world under the guise of “science.” Unfortunately, most of them lacked both the education and training required to conduct scientific validation, and as a result, medicine drifted away from real science. It is time for authorities — especially political leaders — to recognize this mistake. They must once again involve true scientists —particularly chemists, physicists, and mathematicians —in addressing these issues. Physicians should work within their proper scope — observation, diagnosis, and care — and let science be carried out by those trained to do science. Only then can medicine return to its rightful foundation in truth and scientific rigor.
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