"Homeopathy -- Miracle cures or undiluted hogwash?"

[BillC]

An article with the above title appears in today's UK Daily Mail, a paper I don't normally read, but bought today just on the strength of this front page headline. I bought the paper, expecting the article to fall heavily on the side of homeopathy, and thus giving me something to feel angry about and divert me during my lunch hour.

It was a pleasant surprise to find it take a very sceptical attitude, and the author, the Mail's Science Editor, is in no doubt that homeopathy is "undilluted tosh".

The article is to be found here. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=344594&in_page_id=1774&in_a_source=)

Since I suspect it won't stay online forever, here are some quotes:

"Witchdoctors have never been more popular"
"The rise of the homeopath represents nothing less than an assault upon the Age of Reason"
"No one would have any problem with homeopathy if it worked, but it does not."

Some predictable whining responses here (http://chat.dailymail.co.uk/dailymail/threadnonInd.jsp?forum=21&thread=9689120&message=10922832).

[Gavinimurthy]

An acknowledgement that homeopathy is catching up in U.K. too. Very good news.:)

Murthy

[BillC]

Originally posted by Gavinimurthy
An acknowledgement that homeopathy is catching up in U.K. too. Very good news.:)

Murthy Can you define "catching up" in the context of homeopathy?

[Rolfe]

Originally posted by BillC
Some predictable whining responses here (http://chat.dailymail.co.uk/dailymail/threadnonInd.jsp?forum=21&thread=9689120&message=10922832). Note the second response. I thought it looked familiar, in fact I'm certain I've seen the same thing verbatim from at least one other homoeopath. Basically, he copied it.

This is the most obvious source (http://www.rlhh.co.uk/history.php). Argument by blatant assertion strikes again.

Rolfe.

[Hydrogen Cyanide]

Originally posted by Gavinimurthy
An acknowledgement that homeopathy is catching up in U.K. too. Very good news.:)

Murthy

Well, it certainly is NOT working here:
http://www.expressnewsline.com/phpnews2/news.php?action=fullnews&id=4260

[Asolepius]

Originally posted by Rolfe

This is the most obvious source (http://www.rlhh.co.uk/history.php). Argument by blatant assertion strikes again.

Rolfe. [/B]
Aha, The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital! I have been quizzing the powers that be as to why the government is spending £18m on upgrading it - nobody has any answers. Meanwhile wards elsewhere are closing for lack of money. This hotbed of quackery is now a part of University College London Hospitals Trust, an independent foundation trust, and seems to have a life of its own with no governance that I can identify. Smart move eh?

[Deetee]

Originally posted by BillC

Since I suspect it won't stay online forever, here are some quotes:

"Witchdoctors have never been more popular"
"The rise of the homeopath represents nothing less than an assault upon the Age of Reason"
"No one would have any problem with homeopathy if it worked, but it does not."




I also liked:

"After all, it must say something that homeopathic hospitals rarely have a casualty department."

[BillC]

Sure they do: