--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In medicine, it has long been recognized…" description: "\"In medicine, it has long been recognized that even a quack remedy that is harmless in itself can be fatal when it substitutes for an effective medicati..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/thomas-sowell-247_long_in-medicine-it-has-long-been-recognized_3217404.jpg" --- # In medicine, it has long been recognized that even a quack… ![“In medicine, it has long been recognized that even a quack remedy that is harmless in itself can be fatal when it substitutes for an effective medication or treatment. The time is overdue for that same recognition to apply to politics.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/thomas-sowell-247_long_in-medicine-it-has-long-been-recognized_3217404.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/thomas-sowell-247_long_in-medicine-it-has-long-been-recognized_3217404.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/thomas-sowell-247_long_in-medicine-it-has-long-been-recognized_3217404.jpg) > “In medicine, it has long been recognized that even a quack remedy that is harmless in itself can be fatal when it substitutes for an effective medication or treatment. The time is overdue for that same recognition to apply to politics.” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Substituting ineffective solutions for proven ones can cause harm, especially in politics. **In simple terms:** Bad substitutes can be deadly. Key Takeaway Avoid replacing effective policies with ineffective ones. Themes politics policy risk health decisionmaking Mood cautious critical Type advisory warning When to use this quote - healthcare decisions - government reforms - personal health choices Key Concepts substitution efficacy unintended consequences Questions to Reflect On - What policies are being replaced by ineffective alternatives? - How can we ensure effective solutions are not abandoned? A Different Perspective Even harmless alternatives can be dangerous if they replace proven methods. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fatal Substitutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatal-substitutes-6034446/) [Harmless Fatal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmless-fatal-6034447/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Medication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medication/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Overdue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overdue/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Quack Remedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quack-remedy-6034445/) [Quacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quacks/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/) [Recognized Quack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognized-quack-6034448/) [Remedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remedy/) [Remedy Harmless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remedy-harmless-6034444/) [Substitutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substitutes/) [Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment/) ## Related quotes > [The time is long overdue to stop looking for progress through racial or ethnic leaders. 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