Madam, – Martin J Kinsella’s riposte to Paul O’Donohue’s debunking of homeopathy should be compulsory reading for anyone tempted to follow the “alternative” route (Letters, September 13th). It is a magnificent example of closing one’s eyes and wishing very hard that problems will go away. Like homeopathy, that might seem to work sometimes, but (outside Government Buildings, at least) generally doesn’t.
Mr Kinsella doesn’t understand how repeatedly diluting water increases its “potency” because there is nothing there to understand. He keeps an “open mind” about this, but not to the extent of learning enough science to understand that diluted water is just that: water.
No fairytale that aspires to scientific status is complete without a reference to quantum physics, and Mr Kinsella does not disappoint. Quantum theory is accepted because it has been tested and verified to great precision. Sadly for Mr Kinsella, water “memory” is not one of the things it has verified.
Mr Kinsella is correct to point out that the placebo effect is not well understood. But at least it can be observed and measured. As well-designed studies show, the same cannot be said for the claimed benefits of homeopathy. If Mr Kinsella wants to treat himself with diluted water (shaken, not stirred), he is welcome to do so, but please don’t ask the rest of us to pay for it. – Yours, etc,