Accidents Quote by Francis Bacon
“Medicine is a science which hath been (as we have said) more professed than laboured, and yet more laboured than advanced: the labour having been, in my judgment, rather in circle than in progression. For I find much iteration, but small addition. It considereth causes of diseases, with the occasions or impulsions; the diseases themselves, with the accidents; and the cures, with the preservation.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Novum Organum, 1620
He critiques medicine as overly theoretical, with many cycles of small changes but little real progress.
In simple terms: Medicine repeats small steps without big breakthroughs.
Seek deeper, systematic research beyond incremental tweaks.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- clinical trials
- public health policy
- research funding
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What would a truly progressive medical approach entail?
- How can we break out of circular research patterns?
Complex diseases may need paradigm shifts, not just iterations.