--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Medicine is a science which hath been (as…" description: "\"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 m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/francis-bacon-297_accidents_medicine-is-a-science-which-hath-been-as_3134438.jpg" --- # Medicine is a science which hath been (as we have said)… ![“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…” quote by Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/francis-bacon-297_accidents_medicine-is-a-science-which-hath-been-as_3134438.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/francis-bacon-297_accidents_medicine-is-a-science-which-hath-been-as_3134438.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/francis-bacon-297_accidents_medicine-is-a-science-which-hath-been-as_3134438.jpg) > “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.” [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. Key Takeaway Seek deeper, systematic research beyond incremental tweaks. Themes science medicine progress methodology Mood critical analytical Type philosophical inquisitive When to use this quote - clinical trials - public health policy - research funding Key Concepts epistemology incrementalism Questions to Reflect On - What would a truly progressive medical approach entail? - How can we break out of circular research patterns? A Different Perspective Complex diseases may need paradigm shifts, not just iterations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Considereth Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considereth-causes-5556828/) [Cures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cures/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Labour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labour/) [Labour Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labour-having-5556829/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Medicine Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine-science-630639/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) [Preservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preservation/) [Professed Laboured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professed-laboured-5556827/) [Progression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progression/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [We profess to teach the principles and practice of medicine, or, in other words, the science and art of medicine. Science is knowledge reduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilks/we-profess-to-teach-the-principles-and-practice-of-medicine-or-in/) [Samuel Wilks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilks/) > [Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/medicine-is-a-science-of-uncertainty-and-an-art-of-probability/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [Medicine is the science by which we learn the various states of the human body in health and when not in health, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avicenna/medicine-is-the-science-by-which-we-learn-the-various-states-of-the/) [Avicenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avicenna/) > [If it were not for the great variability among individuals, medicine might as well be a science, not an art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/if-it-were-not-for-the-great-variability-among-individuals-medicine/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [Science of yoga and ayurveda is subtler than the science of medicine, because science of medicine is often victim of statistical manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/science-of-yoga-and-ayurveda-is-subtler-than-the-science-of-medicine/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [“Medicine is not a science; it is empiricism founded on a network of blunders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmet-densmore/medicine-is-not-a-science-it-is-empiricism-founded-on-a-network-of/) [Emmet Densmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmet-densmore/) > [Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. 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Other men swallowed water, here a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/other-men-puffed-snorted-and-splashed-george-passed-through-the-ocean/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Technology has just been the major progression of the last 15 years - instant communication. That stuff has gone so global. That's what's interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-west/technology-has-just-been-the-major-progression-of-the-last-15-years/) [Ti West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-west/) > [Don't try to rush progress. Remember -- a step forward, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. Keep believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-goucher/don-t-try-to-rush-progress-remember-a-step-forward-no-matter-how/) [Kara Goucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-goucher/) > [Because that's just the way it is, and don't sleep on what you did before, you know, because it can... not hurt you, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thierry-henry/because-that-s-just-the-way-it-is-and-don-t-sleep-on-what-you-did/) [Thierry Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thierry-henry/) > [Every time I finish a song... most of the time it's in my own head, like this sounds too much like a Townes Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/every-time-i-finish-a-song-most-of-the-time-it-s-in-my-own-head-like/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) ## More by Francis Bacon > [Princes are like heavenly bodies, which cause good or evil times, and which have much veneration, but no rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/princes-are-like-heavenly-bodies-which-cause-good-or-evil-times-and/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The best preservative to keep the mind in health is the faithful admonition of a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-best-preservative-to-keep-the-mind-in-health-is-the-faithful/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Since custom is the principal magistrate of man's life, let men by all means endeavor to obtain good customs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/since-custom-is-the-principal-magistrate-of-man-s-life-let-men-by-all/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/painting-today-is-pure-intuition-and-luck-and-taking-advantage-of/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-usually-accept-bribes-from-both-sides-so-that-tainted-money-can/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Much bending breaks the bow; much unbending the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/much-bending-breaks-the-bow-much-unbending-the-mind/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [When Christ came into the world, peace was sung; and when He went out of the world, peace was bequeathed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-christ-came-into-the-world-peace-was-sung-and-when-he-went-out/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [...neither is it possible to discover the more remote and deeper parts of any science, if you stand but upon the level of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/neither-is-it-possible-to-discover-the-more-remote-and-deeper-parts/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The divisions of science are not like different lines that meet in one angle, but rather like the branches of trees that join in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-divisions-of-science-are-not-like-different-lines-that-meet-in/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The human understanding, when any preposition has been once laid down... forces everything else to add fresh support and confirmation; and although more cogent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-human-understanding-when-any-preposition-has-been-once-laid-down/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I should have been, I don't know, a con-man, a robber or a prostitute. 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