An example of the pervasive nature of medical viewpoints came up the other day in ordinary conversation at a barbershop. A customer had undergone surgery. There was speculation about what would follow. My barber's whispered observations disputed what another customer was saying would be the likely prognosis and follow-up care.
Hardly a day goes by that some new form of medical treatment isn't featured on a television public-affairs program or in the local newspaper. In only the last couple of days, procedures have been described that promise to treat in minutes serious illnesses that previously would have required long periods of treatment or were even perhaps considered incurable from a medical standpoint. It is with mixed feelings, of course, that people hear these reports, because while the promises seem promising, the diseases nevertheless still threaten.
Because of the extent of medical education that people receive through television, newspapers, magazines, and even during entertainment programs, it seems amazing to the great majority that there are large numbers of people who effectively rely on prayer for healing.
