Readers' reactions

Last week in the TES: Reg Jordan argued that medical students should study unorthodox medicine:

Christopher C. French, Head of department, Department of psychology Goldsmiths College, London

To describe therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy and hypnotherapy as having "a pretty firm basis" is a clear overstatement. At best, it would be true to say that they are supported by a few apparently

positive findings against a background of generally negative results from properly controlled studies.

Neither acupuncture nor homeopathy can possibly work in the way that their adherents propose unless our current scientific understanding of physics and physiology is grossly mistaken.