--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We kill with antibiotics and antiseptics…" description: "\"We kill with antibiotics and antiseptics, and if our slaughter is ineffectual we use surgery to expel the offending organ from our presence. We destroy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/robert-svoboda-42922_antibiotics_we-kill-with-antibiotics-and-antiseptics_654035.jpg" --- # We kill with antibiotics and antiseptics, and if our… ![“We kill with antibiotics and antiseptics, and if our slaughter is ineffectual we use surgery to expel the offending organ from our presence. We destroy the body in order to save it.” quote by Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/robert-svoboda-42922_antibiotics_we-kill-with-antibiotics-and-antiseptics_654035.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/robert-svoboda-42922_antibiotics_we-kill-with-antibiotics-and-antiseptics_654035.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/robert-svoboda-42922_antibiotics_we-kill-with-antibiotics-and-antiseptics_654035.jpg) > “We kill with antibiotics and antiseptics, and if our slaughter is ineffectual we use surgery to expel the offending organ from our presence. We destroy the body in order to save it.” [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Medical interventions often damage healthy tissue while trying to eliminate disease, highlighting a paradox of destructive cures. **In simple terms:** Treatments can harm while healing. Key Takeaway Weigh risks of interventions. Themes medicine ethics paradox Mood cautionary thought‑provoking Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - surgery - antibiotic use - patient consent Key Concepts iatrogenic harm risk‑benefit analysis Questions to Reflect On - When is non‑invasive treatment preferable? - How do you balance harm vs. benefit? A Different Perspective Alternative therapies may be overlooked; over‑reliance on invasive methods. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Organs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organs/) [Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughter/) [Surgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgery/) ## Related quotes > [Widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance. Smart use of antibiotics is the key to controlling its spread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/widespread-use-of-antibiotics-promotes-the-spread-of-antibiotic/) [A. P. J. Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/) > [“Food animals also get antibiotics for “growth promotion,” a metabolically mysterious process that has made possible the entire high-volume, low-margin business of industrial-scale farming.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryn-mckenna/food-animals-also-get-antibiotics-for-growth-promotion-a/) [Maryn McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryn-mckenna/) > [Up to 90% of the total decline in the death rate of children between 1860-1965 because of whooping cough, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and measles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-kalokerinos/up-to-90-of-the-total-decline-in-the-death-rate-of-children-between/) [Archie Kalokerinos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-kalokerinos/) > [People are going to start realizing, why take those antibiotics that are extracts of mushrooms? Why not just have the mushrooms?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/people-are-going-to-start-realizing-why-take-those-antibiotics-that/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [Even diseases have lost their prestige, there aren't so many of them left. Think it over... no more syphilis, no more clap, no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/even-diseases-have-lost-their-prestige-there-aren-t-so-many-of-them/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [Do any of us actually want to live in a world where your boss can decide that he or she is morally opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/do-any-of-us-actually-want-to-live-in-a-world-where-your-boss-can/) [Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/) > [Medicine allows people to live who would otherwise die, so antibiotics will let people survive infections that they might be otherwise very vulnerable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/medicine-allows-people-to-live-who-would-otherwise-die-so-antibiotics/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [I've never had a sinus infection or been on antibiotics since cutting out dairy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayim-bialik/i-ve-never-had-a-sinus-infection-or-been-on-antibiotics-since-cutting/) [Mayim Bialik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayim-bialik/) > [I don't prefer to fill my body with antibiotics, pesticides, steroids, and growth hormones - my body is my temple, and I treat it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-whang/i-don-t-prefer-to-fill-my-body-with-antibiotics-pesticides-steroids/) Suzanne Whang > [I don't want food that comes from animals that are caged up and fed antibiotics. I am really suspicious of that kind of production…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-waters/i-don-t-want-food-that-comes-from-animals-that-are-caged-up-and-fed/) [Alice Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-waters/) > [I have vowed never to take antibiotics again unless I really need them. I also learned to pay attention to my body, know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nargis-fakhri/i-have-vowed-never-to-take-antibiotics-again-unless-i-really-need/) [Nargis Fakhri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nargis-fakhri/) > [While consumers may be more shocked by pink slime or the feeding of Prozac to poultry, the routine feeding of millions of pounds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/while-consumers-may-be-more-shocked-by-pink-slime-or-the-feeding-of/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [When you look at the consequences of climate change, at rainforest deforestation, at antibiotic resistance, these are not necessarily political issues, but rather issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-you-look-at-the-consequences-of-climate-change-at-rainforest/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [When we prescribe antibiotics for a strep throat, it's not even for the strep throat. It's for the complications of the strep throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-varshavski/when-we-prescribe-antibiotics-for-a-strep-throat-it-s-not-even-for/) [Mikhail Varshavski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-varshavski/) > [The greatest analgesic, soporific, stimulant, tranquilizer, narcotic, and to some extent even antibiotic - in short, the closest thing to a genuine panacea -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/the-greatest-analgesic-soporific-stimulant-tranquilizer-narcotic-and/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) ## More by Robert Svoboda > [The clothing is moving, the external version is moving. Whether the internal version is moving or not it is a different matter. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/the-clothing-is-moving-the-external-version-is-moving-whether-the/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) > [You retain your health only so long as you are willing...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/you-retain-your-health-only-so-long-as-you-are-willing/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) > [Living wisdom cannot be confined within words, but it can be hinted at through situations, much as a specific feature of an otherwise undistinguished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/living-wisdom-cannot-be-confined-within-words-but-it-can-be-hinted-at/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) > [You have to be able to connect to the world of archetypes. That is not so easy, and most people in the West have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/you-have-to-be-able-to-connect-to-the-world-of-archetypes-that-is-not/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) > [So Ayurveda is a bunch of techniques and theories and practices that have been accumulated over many centuries in a way that we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/so-ayurveda-is-a-bunch-of-techniques-and-theories-and-practices-that/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) > [“The fates lead him who will; him who won't they drag. - The Greatness of Saturn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/the-fates-lead-him-who-will-him-who-won-t-they-drag-the-greatness-of/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) > [It's very important to distinguish between what most people in the West think about knowledge, and what the Indian concept of knowledge is. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/it-s-very-important-to-distinguish-between-what-most-people-in-the/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) > [So the problem in the West is that, especially in places like the USA, a person will obtain this much knowledge and immediately think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/so-the-problem-in-the-west-is-that-especially-in-places-like-the-usa/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) > [“Just remember that learning is also a form of Maya. It is very valuable, no doubt, but you can still become attached to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-svoboda/just-remember-that-learning-is-also-a-form-of-maya-it-is-very/) [Robert Svoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) [Explore all 10 Robert Svoboda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-svoboda/) ## More Antibiotics quotes > [Widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance. Smart use of antibiotics is the key to controlling its spread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/widespread-use-of-antibiotics-promotes-the-spread-of-antibiotic/) [A. P. J. Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/) > [When we prescribe antibiotics for a strep throat, it's not even for the strep throat. It's for the complications of the strep throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-varshavski/when-we-prescribe-antibiotics-for-a-strep-throat-it-s-not-even-for/) [Mikhail Varshavski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-varshavski/) > [When you look at the consequences of climate change, at rainforest deforestation, at antibiotic resistance, these are not necessarily political issues, but rather issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-you-look-at-the-consequences-of-climate-change-at-rainforest/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [While consumers may be more shocked by pink slime or the feeding of Prozac to poultry, the routine feeding of millions of pounds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/while-consumers-may-be-more-shocked-by-pink-slime-or-the-feeding-of/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [I have vowed never to take antibiotics again unless I really need them. I also learned to pay attention to my body, know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nargis-fakhri/i-have-vowed-never-to-take-antibiotics-again-unless-i-really-need/) [Nargis Fakhri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nargis-fakhri/) > [I don't want food that comes from animals that are caged up and fed antibiotics. I am really suspicious of that kind of production…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-waters/i-don-t-want-food-that-comes-from-animals-that-are-caged-up-and-fed/) [Alice Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-waters/) > [I don't prefer to fill my body with antibiotics, pesticides, steroids, and growth hormones - my body is my temple, and I treat it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-whang/i-don-t-prefer-to-fill-my-body-with-antibiotics-pesticides-steroids/) Suzanne Whang > [I've never had a sinus infection or been on antibiotics since cutting out dairy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayim-bialik/i-ve-never-had-a-sinus-infection-or-been-on-antibiotics-since-cutting/) [Mayim Bialik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayim-bialik/) > [Medicine allows people to live who would otherwise die, so antibiotics will let people survive infections that they might be otherwise very vulnerable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/medicine-allows-people-to-live-who-would-otherwise-die-so-antibiotics/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [Do any of us actually want to live in a world where your boss can decide that he or she is morally opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/do-any-of-us-actually-want-to-live-in-a-world-where-your-boss-can/) [Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/) > [Even diseases have lost their prestige, there aren't so many of them left. Think it over... no more syphilis, no more clap, no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/even-diseases-have-lost-their-prestige-there-aren-t-so-many-of-them/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [People are going to start realizing, why take those antibiotics that are extracts of mushrooms? Why not just have the mushrooms?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/people-are-going-to-start-realizing-why-take-those-antibiotics-that/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [Up to 90% of the total decline in the death rate of children between 1860-1965 because of whooping cough, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and measles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-kalokerinos/up-to-90-of-the-total-decline-in-the-death-rate-of-children-between/) [Archie Kalokerinos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-kalokerinos/) > [“Food animals also get antibiotics for “growth promotion,” a metabolically mysterious process that has made possible the entire high-volume, low-margin business of industrial-scale farming.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryn-mckenna/food-animals-also-get-antibiotics-for-growth-promotion-a/) [Maryn McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryn-mckenna/) > [The greatest analgesic, soporific, stimulant, tranquilizer, narcotic, and to some extent even antibiotic - in short, the closest thing to a genuine panacea -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/the-greatest-analgesic-soporific-stimulant-tranquilizer-narcotic-and/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) Browse all 109 Antibiotics quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We kill with antibiotics and antiseptics, and if our slaughter is ineffectual we use surgery to expel the offending organ from our presence. 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