In medical research there is also the additional handicap of career structure. The extremely hierarchical nature of medical careers, and the substantial financ

In medical research there is also the additional handicap of career structure. The extremely hierarchical nature of medical careers, and the substantial financial rewards for "playing along", mean that there are strong disincentives to rock the boat by criticizing the hypotheses of senior members. This often results in byzantine twists of logic being used to justify continuing with particular lines of enquiry, such as the amyloid hypothesis in Alzheimer's disease (my field).