The progress in medical sciences can be surprisingly messy. Moral issues abound, and a lot of important work has been done against the scientific consensus. Ea

The progress in medical sciences can be surprisingly messy. Moral issues abound, and a lot of important work has been done against the scientific consensus. Early operations on human heart were gonzo and against the prevailing wisdom[1]; discovery that stomach ulcers are caused by bacteria was the doctor purposefully drinking bacterial cocktail, falling ill, and curing himself with proper antibiotics [2]; the first cardiac catheterization with imaging was done on the doctor himself via subterfuge because otherwise he would've been stopped [3]. An Air Force doctor strapped himeslf to a rocked sled and rigorously subjected himself to up to 42Gs and near-Mach windblast, with the results greatly improving air safety [4]. And that's just off of the top of my head. -- [1] early on it was considered impossible to perform successful heart surgery; among others because the tools would disrupt heart rhythms with electricity produced by galvanic reaction [2] http://discovermagazine.com/2010/mar/07-dr-drank-broth-gave-ulcer-solved-medical-mystery http://discovermagazine.com/2010/mar/07-dr-drank-broth-gave-... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-experimentation_in_medicine#Cardiac_catheterization\ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-experimentation_in_medici... [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stapp#Works_on_effects_of_deceleration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stapp#Works_on_effects_of...