The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c8.s1.26

c8.s1.26

Only this much can be easily admitted that in the case where the magician sees his rite succeeds, when an accident interrupts its normal cause, he can be put on the way of recognising that the efficacy did not depend on that rite but was the result of the virtue inherent in the element employed. Experience can, then, confirm to him the existence of this virtue in that element. Thus, by an accident of the magical operation, a real property can, certainly, be discovered. But still, this is not the scientifically recognised property; it is merely an empirical datum, accidentally acquired. It is true that this datum can be precious and that it is essentially medical but it is not even then scientific because practical medicine contains a large part of empiricism. Science comes in only from the moment when the efficacy of the remedy is systematically explained and where its properties are rationally applied.