It’s quite interesting that one of the common responses to scepticism regarding masks, lockdowns and vaccinations is that we ignorant non-medical people need to just trust the professionals. What is commonly assumed is that professionals can never get things wrong. We somehow have arrived at a point in history where mistakes are no longer made, and there is no way generations to come will look back and chuckle at our ignorance. This is plain hubris.

Need we be reminded that medical professionals in times past used to blood let to ‘help’ their patients? Need we be reminded that there was great resistance when Ignaz Semmelweis suggested that washing hands before surgery could prevent deaths. He ended up losing his job. So before these medical professionals get too cocky, they ought to remember human history and that includes medical history is fraught with errors and stupidity. We are no doubt making mistakes just like our ancestors.