Morphol Igazsagugyi Orv Sz. 1990 Jan; 30(1): 69-75.

[Quackery, alternative medicine and the forensic expert]

HarsÃ¡nyi L.

The crime of charlatanism can be committed only by individuals having not qualified as physician, who perform regular healing activity or accept any kind of compensation for such activity. Health workers with secondary qualification and those who graduated from colleges of medicine also commit charlatanism if their healing activity is out of their professional competence. When a physician performs unprofessional activity breaking the rules of his profession, which is colloquially interpreted as charlatanism, the term "malpractice" is used. Charlatanism may directly endanger the patient in case the drug used is deleterious or the applied procedure causes damage. The indirect danger manifesting itself in the lack of setting the diagnosis and starting the necessary treatment is much more significant. Quite a few of the drugs applied in folk medicine and alternative medicine are undoubtedly useful and advantageous, they may well complement scientifically-based medication. Occasionally the improvement achieved in this way is objective and measurable, however, in cases it is subjective. In more than one cases the psycho-therapeutical effect is amazingly significant. Subjective improvement is of great importance from the patient's point of view. "Official" medicine should never ignore the psycho-therapeutical effect. No negative preconception should be expressed about unknown new possibilities in advance, only checked experiments and scientific disputes my lead to taking objective stand-points. Any individual is in the right of doing scientific research, including making and discovering new medicaments. However, no-one is in the right of applying and selling drugs to patients by neglecting the national practice of medicament registration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)