Earlier quoted context omitted.
Medicine (and many other "closed" subjects) is widely taught in schools - it is not a secret guild. You can also go to school for agriculture, to learn about the growth of crops and about livestock management. The difference is that this ocean farming is a new endeavor by a small group. It's not like CS or math where independent researchers can download a compiler or pick up a notebook and verify or extend other stud…
Every profession is a conspiracy against the laity. Sure, medicine and law are widely taught. Those same two groups work to ensure that it's very difficult to acquire and apply that knowledge. Getting into med school is difficult and expensive, with a license to practice even more so.
Think about all the bad programmers you are aware of, and think about how many are employed. I believe medicine is trying to avoid that, somewhat understandably, with collateral damage against people who would otherwise be good doctors but are unlucky. Calling it a conspiracy might be a bit of a reach. Take that sentiment into watching Patch Adams, for example, and the big bad mean medical establishment might make a smidgen more sense. On grounds of dignity and tradition is one thing, but competency is another and I think the root of the conflict.
This is all interesting of course when you also, correctly, notice that there are many bad doctors and lawyers all the same. My ex-wife's divorce attorney needed help from my own understanding notary procedure (yes, really). But hard to say whether there are fewer with the system in place. Maybe there are.
Again, no opinion being shared on whether I agree with the practice or not (I'm honestly unsure, if you want the truth), just an observation. Maybe some of the issues in our industry, particularly incredibly lax security practices, might be mitigated with a bar to entry similar to medicine. I simply don't have that answer and I can see arguments on both sides.