[dukeofdoom]

This also applies to doctors. You would think they are intelligent, highly trained and experts in their field. But the you look at the statistics for medical mistakes and how many people die every year from drug complications and it brings some needed perspective.

I think the problem is people are biased, and play out roles. You show a carpenter a nail that sticks up and he will hammer it down. What else would you expect, this is what he was trained to do.

A doctor is trained to give you drugs or operate, the bias is towards taking medical action. If he doesn't do anything and you die, he might get fired, your family would have a clear case to sue and so on. Even if statistical doing nothing may be preferable. It's just probably hard to nothing in some cases.