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Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

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11–20 of 215 posts

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#11

It seems almost unbelievable that in this day and age we could have missed something like this. In my opinion, it put modern medicine into perspective. I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is, and this report seems like a good validation of that notion.

As long as people are mortal, we are in the dark ages.

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#12

It seems almost unbelievable that in this day and age we could have missed something like this. In my opinion, it put modern medicine into perspective. I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is, and this report seems like a good validation of that notion.

> I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is

What does that even mean? Nobody's claiming that modern medicine is anywhere close to perfect but the "dark ages" medicine was Humorism, blood letting and faith healing. Surgeons didn't start washing their hands before childbirth until the 19th century. It's really weird to look back at the mind-boggling progress we achieved in the past 200 years and conclude "we're basically still in the dark ages!"

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#13
post #4

I remember the cadaver labs during the school days. Really hard to spot certain (save for the really large organs which are obvious) unless you know what it is you’re looking for. Sometimes an illustration tells you it should be there but the actual structure is... underwhelming or barely visible/damaged from years of specimen abuse. Can see how things like this can be missed.

For some reason this reminds me of the joke: “If the surgeon cuts a vessel and knows the name of that vessel, the situation is serious; if the anaesthetist knows the name of the vessel the situation is irretrievable”

Strangely enough, I find the anesthesiologist sometimes knows the name of the vessels as well as the surgeon, especially for the run of the mill surgeries. Because it usually turns a 20 minute operation to 60-90 minutes (the added time to fix the mistake and find the bleeder, and go to plan B), and they miss their coffee break as a result!

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#14

It seems almost unbelievable that in this day and age we could have missed something like this. In my opinion, it put modern medicine into perspective. I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is, and this report seems like a good validation of that notion.

I feel like the fact this is rare, big news kind of negates your point.

Agreed, though it also makes me think of the numerous cases of drugs developed with a specific purpose, but then afterwards found to have a completely different effect to what was originally intended.

Medical science is an incredible thing, but science, by definition, does not have all the answers.

A small part of me is actually somewhat surprised, that people (both lay, and professional) are surprised.

Though I am not the best placed commentator to champion this view.

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#15
post #12

It seems almost unbelievable that in this day and age we could have missed something like this. In my opinion, it put modern medicine into perspective. I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is, and this report seems like a good validation of that notion.

> I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is What does that even mean? Nobody's claiming that modern medicine is anywhere close to perfect but the "dark ages" medicine was Humorism, blood letting and faith healing. Surgeons didn't start washing their hands before childbirth until the 19th century. It's really weird to look back at the mind-boggling progr…

Blood letting is still the treatment for iron overload.

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#16
The human body is complex; it's complicated. How many times have we heard, "I went to X different doctors and none could diagnosis me."

That's not a knock on medicine or science, just a simple statement of fact. That is, there is plenty we have yet to understand.

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#18
post #12

It seems almost unbelievable that in this day and age we could have missed something like this. In my opinion, it put modern medicine into perspective. I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is, and this report seems like a good validation of that notion.

> I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is What does that even mean? Nobody's claiming that modern medicine is anywhere close to perfect but the "dark ages" medicine was Humorism, blood letting and faith healing. Surgeons didn't start washing their hands before childbirth until the 19th century. It's really weird to look back at the mind-boggling progr…

Imagine the following.

Here's the spectrum of medical knowledge:

-----------------------------------------

Here's where we were in the dark ages:

--|--------------------------------------

Here's where we are now:

-------|---------------------------------

Here's where people like to think we are:

------------------|----------------------

In this scenario it seems like what you're saying and what your parent said are both true (it is true both that medicine is much closer to the dark ages than we'd like to think, and also that we know a great deal more than we knew in the dark ages).

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#19
post #12

It seems almost unbelievable that in this day and age we could have missed something like this. In my opinion, it put modern medicine into perspective. I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is, and this report seems like a good validation of that notion.

> I've suspected for some time that medicine is actually closer to the dark ages than we like to think it is What does that even mean? Nobody's claiming that modern medicine is anywhere close to perfect but the "dark ages" medicine was Humorism, blood letting and faith healing. Surgeons didn't start washing their hands before childbirth until the 19th century. It's really weird to look back at the mind-boggling progr…

Yes, we've made some great leaps and they shouldn't be discounted, but neural-science is still in its infancy. We still don't know the exact mechanism of action of many commonly prescribed psychoactive medications. We know they work because, unlike in the past, we conduct rigorous studies, but we can only theorise as to why the work and why they don't have the same effect in all patients. This has real implications for how medicine is practiced, which will undoubtedly make our methods look quite primitive to future generations. For instance, physiatrists are still forced into a 'trial and error' approach when finding the correct antidepressant and dosage for each patient.

Re: Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head

#20
A bit of a random, uneducated question, but somewhat related... For anatomists with a strong knowledge of both, which is more complicated?

The human head, or the human gut?

I suppose I'm wondering about the potential for something like this to happen again.

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