[jmalicki]

An MD does not practice science.

Science is a process of discovering new knowledge through experiments.

An MD is much more akin to an engineer that applies scientific knowledge (and yes, some proportion of both MDs and engineers do create new knowledge through experiments and thus do science, but it's not the baseline expectation).

[dghlsakjg]

Doctors run small experiments constantly. “Let’s see if this ailment responds to this treatment”.

They test theses constantly “These symptoms may be cancer, let’s test that theory with a biopsy”

Science can be local to a single patient.

[jmalicki]

It's not a scientific experiment if you don't have some form of control, just an observational study.

The lack of training physicians get in the scientific method is probably one of the biggest things holding humans back today.

[fluidcruft]

"Practicing" something means applying it. It's similar to how practicing law and creating law are related but not the same thing.

[jmalicki]

I practice medicine everytime I take a Tylenol then.

Am I guilty of a felony for not having a license?

Practicing law and the practice of applying legal regulations are quite different, just as practicing science and the practice of applying scientific knowledge are quite different.

Not that MDs are less than scientists. I stand firm that Flat Earthers who do experiments to prove the earth is flat are absolutely practicing scientists! They are complete idiots who don't know anything, but they set out to create experiments to prove or disprove their ideas.

Whereas an excellent physician who is extremely learned and takes medical studies at face value, and knows more knowledge derived from science than most scientists who created it, is only using knowledge derived from science, not practicing science.

It's like during COVID people had those signs "I believe in science!". I probably agree with everything they believe, but science is a process of testings theories and creating knowledge, it's not a body of facts you agree with.