Typhoid Mary – Absolute science and science for ignoramus and God men

Why AYUSH products show great inconsistency in their performance? It may work in some but not in all? No one knows for whom it would work and for whom it would not and therefore it looks like experimenting with AYUSH products is like testing our luck from lottery ticket or gambling.

The point of discussion is not about the efficacy of AYUSH products or how the paramedical practice could achieve such an envious status as medical science without any science or merit. The point is how science sometimes scientifically support and substantiate pseudo-science, faiths, coincidences, and correlations.

If Typhoid Mary was ever born in India, perhaps many the so called AYUSH lovers and God men would have threaded out several scientific truths and facts out of Typhoid Mary to substantiate the existence of God, faith in God, the curse of God and ultimately the importance of God men and their gospels.

Typhoid Mary was not a fictitious character but the scientific truth. She was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid bacteria and was believed to be the chief source of typhoid disease to many in places where she had worked as a cook. The statistical evidence clearly suggests the continuous episodes of typhoid in those houses in various parts of US where Mary Mallon later named as Typhoid May has worked as a cook. It was also proved with ample presence of typhoid-causing bacteria in various samples of Mary. Scientists in US way back in 1906 discovered the scientific fact that Mary Mallon was the cause of all previous typhoid outbreaks with sufficient evidence and she was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid.

The scientists in the US has questioned why and how and traveled through the paths of science than from framing some hypothesis or theories and authenticate it with faith and God and spread it across as sacred science.

Imagine Mary Mallon was born in India and her association and typhoid outbreaks got some proof, instead of scientists, the god-men would have jumped into the wallow and said it was due to the karma of previous birth, Mary Mallon was cursed by God and those who associate with her would fall from the grace of God and suffer from the same problem. In reality, all those who associated with Marry also would have suffered from the disease - typhoid.

The God men would have got good data to prove that Mary was indeed cursed by God and the proof was that all those associated with her barring to the advice of the God-men also had suffered from similar problem. The above science however scientific it is, but also would appear scientific and convincing from the point of view of many God-men.

When we fall slave to certain belief systems and peripheral evidences, we miserably fail in our scientific quest and pursuit and instead of seeing the truth through the optics of science, we will start to see ‘truth’ only through godmen, faith and God.

The so-called scientific sanctity enjoyed by the science less AYUSH tells not just the story of faith and promotion of faith, God, Godliness and God men in India but also about how science help sometime the ignoramus to substantiate the ignorance and convert many people to its fold.

If we look at AYUSH from 360˚angle also hardly we can find any science that can be tested, verified, proved and reproduced.

The concept of Tridosha and the diagnostic procedures for example V5, P4, K2 etc., the nomenclature of the diseases and so-called drugs, none can be established scientifically. Even the basic tenet of drug also none of the AYUSH products can meet such as what in the AYUSH product is responsible for the therapeutic effect, how sure we are about it, how it get absorbed, what is its mechanism of action etc. But all those old bundle of ‘the so-called wisdom’ we have converted as curriculum content for medical science and are producing graduates from such science as doctor and many of them instead of practicing own system that they have studied for 5 ½ years, practice cross pathy and quackery.

Why we use science to substantiate faith and pseudoscience than to see science and its different manifestations?

If we continue to patronage and sponsor such paramedical practice as medical science, can we solve the multitude of health problems in our country? When we will become like US, UK, France etc., then as a mere exporter of talents to these countries.

Although high ambition, passion, vision all of them may help us to grow but simultaneously want our obsession and patronage for occultism, obscurantism, and pseudo-science pull us down to the bottomless pit of grief and frustration?

Who really need AYUSH? Why we over shower our love for poor people in rural India for gifting AYUSH?

The infant mortality rate is reported to be high in many states in India like Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc. Ironically some of these states are mass producers of AYUSH vaidyas and most of them may be practicing cross pathy. Why are we unwilling to learn our lessons from the above obvious truth that stares at us?

How many more years and centuries we are going to sing the same old song that AYUSH is 5000 years old, time tested, God’s gift, spiritually evolved, holistic etc.

If AYUSH was so great, why then the mortality rate in India was quite high till the advent of many vaccines? The so-called immune boosting drugs of AYUSH should have contained all diseases and the life expectancy should have touched 200 or 300 years.

Politically most of us are pseudo secular. Why scientifically we become pseudoscientific and prefer to play pakhawaja (पखावज) to some faith-based health care practices.

We should use science to see the truth and not substantiate our ignorance, faith, and divine magic.

The revival of medievalism at the cultural level is fine but it should not end up in medical adventurism risking life or result in medication health fraud.

Let us promote AYUSH for the paramedical benefit and end cross pathy and quackery from our health care system.

S Ranganathan