Running after quacks and mountebanks…

摘要

The phenomenon of quackery is reviewed, and illustrated with examp les from history, the literature and the present. A distinctio n is drawn between impostors or charlatans, and unortho dox but professional healers. The lessons drawn to suggest that some t reatments considered unacceptable in the past have so metimes proved their efficacy over time, and shou ld not always be dismissed o ut of hand