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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Farm Robots

Agriculture is one of our most important industries. It provides food, feed and fuel necessary for our survival. With the global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, agricultural production must double to meet the demand. And because of limited arable land, productivity must increase 25% to help meet that goal.
Consider these factoids:
  • Major US farming conglomerates are buying foreign land and beginning to farm there citing lower overall cost.
  • China is buying land in Africa and sending skilled workers to supervise those new farms.
  • Farmers and ranchers the world over are transitioning to precision agricultural methods, i.e., subdividing their acreage into many sub-plots, in some cases, right down to the individual plant/tree/animal thereby enabling increased productivity and lower overall costs.
  • Unmanned aerial vehicles are being used to map, observe, sense and spray.
  • Unmanned (or at least autonomous) ground vehicles are providing more precise movements and thereby enabling precision practices.
  • The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 2012 median pay for farm workers was $9.09.
  • The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 749,400 ag workers in 2012, down 3% (25,000) from 2011.
  • 74% - approximate number of crop workers in the US who were born in Mexico or Central America of which more than half are likely to be undocumented (according to Fortune Magazine).
  • Cropdusters have the 3rd highest fatality rate among professions in the US. 90% of crop spraying in Japan is done using small unmanned helicopters.
  • ResearchMoz, in a 1/29/2014 report, projects agricultural robot market size to grow from $817 million in 2013 to $16.3 billion by 2020.
Thus the agricultural industry is in transition. And that transition differs country by country, state by state, region by region as well as by type of farming practiced: from primitive to conventional to precision to experimental. A little bit of everything is going on everywhere but the general trend worldwide is toward precision agriculture supplemented by advanced technologies including robotics.
Many factors are precipitating these changes in addition to global population growth and the cost and availability of labor: the diminishing availability and increasing cost of water, political and regulatory procedures and hold-ups; limited tillable acreage; better, cheaper and faster technological automation products; and climate change, to name just a few.
Modern farmers and ranchers are already high-tech. Digitally-controlled farm implements are regularly in use. There are partially and fully automatic devices for most aspects of agricultural functions from grafting to planting, from harvesting to sorting, packaging and boxing. Farmers use software systems and aerial survey maps and data to guide their field operations. They also use auto-steer systems included in many new tractors (or buy kits that do the same thing) which follow GPS and software guidance. Some farmers are already transitioning some of their operations to full autonomy. Thus forward-thinking farm owners today may be able to skip over slow, incremental improvements and jump directly to robotic and autonomous automation. But are the robots ready?
In a follow-up to my July, 2014 article “Will agricultural robots arrive in time to keep fruit and vegetable costs down?” this article profiles 27 of the many companies (from conglomerates to start-ups) attempting to provide robotic solutions for farming problems and explores what they are doing, when their products will be available, and at what cost.
[NOTE: From a list of 60 organizations involved with agricultural robotics, dairy was eliminated even though robotic milking systems are amazing and a growing business. Also eliminated were companies that didn't (or couldn't because they are publicly traded such as John Deere and CNH Industrial (Case/New Holland)) respond to my brief questionaire. Further, only one of the many university ag research facilities was profiled even though there's a lot of rich science under development; I wanted to focus on the here and now; not the future.]
Companies Mentioned sorted by primary function:
Harvesting and Tractors - Tractors do two things: provide guidance to the devices they are towing, and pulling power. Current tractors are huge and if they break down, the entire operation comes to a halt. Autonomous machines don't need operators and can operate around the clock. Thus tight operational windows can be achieved for seeding and other time-sensitive activities.
  • Agrobot
  • Energid
  • Clearpath Robotics
  • Autonomous Solutions
  • Wageningen UR
  • Agritronics
  • Kinze Manufacturing
  • Amazone-Bosch
  • AGCO Fendt
  • Rowbot
  • Robotic Harvesting
Planting, Pruning, Potting, Grafting and Nursery Operations
  • Harvest Automation
  • ISO Group
  • Helper Robotech
  • Conic Systems
  • Wall-Ye
Thinning and Weeding
  • Blue River Technologies
  • ecoRobotix
  • Vision Robotics
  • F Poulsen Engineering
UAS, Inspection, Data Collection and Data Manipulation - UAVs are only as good as the other precision ag equipment and systems; if there are no computers on the tractors or controllers on the implements towed, and if they can't talk to each other, UAS data collected is just pretty pictures.
  • Agribotix
  • PrecisionHawk
  • senseFly
Smart Implements - New implements incorporate advanced control systems and can respond to commands from the towing tractor or provide their own mobility and navigation.
  • Jaybridge Robotics
  • Autonomous Tractor
  • Agrobotics AutoProbe
  • Naio Technologies
Agriculture is big business in every country around the world. Thus this is a timely review of the progress to bring robotic automation to an already automated industry. Bottom line: lots of activity, much of which will be coming online in the next year or two, but little market penetration thus far.
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Company Profiles:
Company: ISO Group, a Flier Systems company, Gameren, The Netherlands
Website: www.isogroepmachinebouw.nl
Product: RoBoPlant flower planting robot and fully and semi-autonomous grafting robots

ISO Group's flower planting robot RoBoPlant
Area of use: All over the EU
Function: Semi and full automatic machinery for greenhouse or protected horticulture. Flower planting robotic system takes flats of peat seedlings, separates them and plants them in chosen patterns;
Testing: Continual testing and development
Availability: Began selling products in 2002
Price: N/A

Company: Autonomous Tractor, Fargo, ND
Website: http://www.autonomoustractor.com/
Product: Modular cab-less robotic tractor implement platform

Autonomous Implement - Spirit Mower
Area of use: Hay producers in the US
Function: Mowing hay. Can add modular engine power as needed by the type and size of implement. Will expand to other crops and other non-ag industries after mower begins shipping
Testing: Continuously field testing
Availability: Expect to come to market and begin shipping pre-orders in 2016
Price: Price expected to be 1/2 of similarly-powered tractors and implements

Company: Blue River Technologies, Sunnyvale, CA
Website: http://www.bluerivert.com/
Product: LettuceBot2 (2nd generation) lettuce thinning

Blue River Technology 3-row LettuceBot2
Area of use: CA and AZ lettuce fields (covers 80% of US lettuce production)
Function: Thinning and weed spraying of iceberg, romaine and leaf lettuce
Testing: Recently completed field testing 3rd generation machine; selective weeding used to improve germination
Availability: Began operating as a per-acre service in 2013
Price: Price per acre depends on the lettuce planting configuration but equates to a slight premium over manual labor costs

Company: Agrobot, Huelva, Spain
Website: http://www.agrobot.com/
Product: Agrobot SW6010 and AGSHydro, a bed-on hydroponic growing system customized for strawberry growing and harvesting

Agrobot harvester

Agrobot hydroponic growing system
Area of use: Strawberry harvesting in Oxnard, CA
Function: Ripe berry picking from raised hydroponic growing beds
Testing: Will start final testing strawberry harvesting in January; have done seasonal testing for a few years
Availability: Mid-2015
Price: $250,000 for a harvester with 60 robotic picking arms. Says one large berry farmer: “The Agrobot works on several investment paths. One where we harvest cheaper than we do today and another where we harvest fruit that there are not sufficient people for. In the latter case the Agrobot pays off instantly because without the ability to harvest we do not have a business (this is becoming more common).”

Company: Agribotix, Boulder, Colorado
Website: http://agribotix.com/
Product: Drone services for precision agriculture

Agribotix Hornet Drone

Agribotix image processing services
Area of use: US Midwest (CO, KA, MO, etc.)
Function: Lease ag drones to co-ops, agronomists, crop consults, farm managers and big industrial farm corporations; produce and process hi-res images and maps using various sensors, and provide prescription maps to match the application of fertilizer to the places that need more (or less)
Testing: Ongoing testing with pilot customers
Availability: Began selling services in 2014
Price: About $8,000 for a season which includes training, drone use, stitched-together RGB and infrared images, crop health and prescription maps. Agribotix offers an image processing services contract with per acre charges for various maps and images over an annual contract period

Company: Wall-Ye, Macon, France
Website: http://wall-ye.com
Product: Wall-Ye 1000 mobile pruning robot

Wall-Ye 1000 Pruning Robot
Area of use: French grape vineyards pruning
Function: Autonomous pruning
Testing: Completed in 2013
Availability: For sale and as a service
Price: $30,000 per robot

Company: ecoRobotix, Essert-Pittet, Switzerland
Website: http://www.ecorobotix.com/
Product: Lightweight autonomous robots initially for weeding

ecoRobotix concept field robot
Area of use: Field testing in Switzerland; next year in Germany
Function: A robotic platform for weeding of spaced-row cultures, which includes advanced weed recognition algorithms, fast robotic arms, advanced sensor technology, high energy efficiency, and wireless communications
Testing: Currently with sugarbeet but plan to extend to colza, sunflower, corn and soya
Availability: First machines available for sale by end of 2015
Price: About 15’000 EUR ($18,750) per robot

Company: Energid, Cambridge, MA
Website: http://www.energid.com/experience/citrus-harvesting/
Product: Citrus harvester

Energid towed multi-arm citrus harvester
Area of use: Florida citrus orchards; oranges (early and late season) and grapefruit
Function: Harvesting, initially for juice
Testing: Will test again during seasons in Florida in 2015 and 2016
Availability: Expect to have initial product in late 2016
Price: System to cost $300,000-$400,000

Company: Harvest Automation, North Billerica, MA
Website: http://www.harvestai.com/products
Product: HV-100 mobile robot

Harvest Automation HV-100 Mobile Robot

Harvest Automation potted plant movement schema
Area of use: Nurseries (ornamental, berries, tomatoes, etc.)
Function: Material handling, movement of containers, spacing.
Testing: HV-100 testing completed
Availability: Been selling since 2013
Price: $130,000 for a team of four robots to purchase. Harvest Automation also rents teams of four for $30K/3 months. The rental scheme has worked really well. All who have rented then subsequently purchased.

Company: Clearpath Robotics, Kitchener, ON, Canada
Website:http://www.clearpathrobotics.com/grizzly/
Product: Grizzly RUV (cab-less robotic utility vehicle) and Husky UGV

Clearpath Grizzly RUV pulling implement
Area of use: Sold to university research facilities for ag applications development
Function: Harvesting, mowing, hauling, research
Testing: Testing asparagus farming with added laser scanner to identify appropriate stalks and a cutter inserted into the soil to cut the stalk below ground; hauling manure from chicken farms while cleaning out barns; detecting where cows urinate and then treating the area so grass can continue to grow; mowing inbetween orchard rows and hauling (hay/straw wagons back to barn and return so that the farmer doesn’t have to stop baling; hauling chemical refills to sprayer locations; hauling manure spreader)
Availability: Early 2015 – at present only selling to academia and research organizations
Price: $12,000 to $100,000 depending on configuration

Company: Autonomous Solutions (ASI), Petersboro, UT
Website: http://www.asirobots.com/farming/
Product: Forge Robotic Platform, a kit for enabling a skid steer to operate autonomously or remotely controlled

ASI skid steer with cab in vineyard

ASI skid steer cab options

ASI Universal Vehicle Automation Kit
Area of use: Wine vineyards
Function: Mowing and spraying functions
Testing: Running field trials in CA and TX
Availability: Mid-2015
Price: $75,000 - $150,000/unit (includes complete skid steer device and driving kit) depending on skid steer configuration
Company: Wageningen UR (University and Research center), Wageningen, The Netherlands and Agritronics, Sint Annaparochie, The Netherlands
Website:http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Research-Institutes/Wageningen-UR-Greenhouse-Horticulture/Research-themes/Advanced-Cultivation-and-Production-Systems/Subthemes/Computer-vision-and-robotics.htm and http://www.agritronics.nl/
Product: Research to supply intelligent systems for high value crops to commercial research partners/vendors

Wageningen UR cucumber harvesting robot
Area of use: Sweet peppers in The Netherlands, apples and grapes in Belgium, canopy spraying in Slovenia and spot spraying in Italy
Function: Harvesting and spraying (spot and canopy)
Testing: Yes, for sweet pepper, in July in a commercial greenhouse; for apples and grapes tests are now completed. For spraying, field tests have been completed. A new harvester, visual quality inspection and vision system for broccoli, is being developed with start-up Agritronics, Sint Annaparochie, The Netherlands
Availability: “This will take several years”
Price: Not available

Company: Vision Robotics, San Diego, CA
Website: http://www.visionrobotics.com/
Product: Lettuce Thinner and Grape Vineyard Pruner

Vision Robotics 6-Line Lettuce Thinner

Vision Robotics grapevine pruner
Area of use: California
Function: Grapevine pruning being tested; lettuce thinner available for sale
Testing: Testing and development for grapevine pruner could be completed in less than 18 months depending on funding
Availability: Lettuce thinner available now; pruner early 2016
Price: Lettuce thinner starts at $140,000 and upwards depending on configuration; pruner will likely sell for same amount

Company: Precision Hawk, Raleigh, NC
Website: http://precisionhawk.com/
Product: Lancaster UAV with various plug and play sensor options plus Datamapper

PrecisionHawk Lancaster

PrecisionHawk Lancaster plug-in sensors
Area of use: Ontario, Canada
Function: Providing data for crop researchers, consultants and farmers and ranchers to make farm management decisions
Testing: Performing field tests under an SFOC from Transport Canada for a number of years. The majority of research and development happens in Ontario, Canada. Over the past six months have obtained a number of CoAs from the FAA to perform field tests and research across the United States in conjunction with universities such as NC State, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Cornell.
Availability: 70% of sales are global. Have entered into a number of projects with US companies on foreign soil for specific research projects
Price: Basic Lancaster platform is $15,000 plus sensors and other options

Company: F Poulsen Engineering ApS, Hvalso, Denmark
Website: http://www.visionweeding.com
Product: ROBOVATOR thermal and/or hydraulic weeder

Poulsen weeder
Area of use: 30 machines already at work in UK, the EU and Canada.
Function: Weeding and thinning of lettuce, cabbage, fennel and onions
Testing: In California (preceding expansion into North America)
Availability: Started selling in 2011 after 8 years of development
Price: The 5-row version sells in Europe for 80.000€ ($100,000)

Company: Kinze Manufacturing, Williamsburg, Iowa and Jaybridge Robotics, Cambridge, MA
Website: http://www.kinze.com/ and http://www.jaybridge.com/
Product: Autonomous vehicle system for row crop harvesting

Kinze autonomous tractor and grain cart
Area of use: Iowa and Illinois corn and soybeans
Function: Autonomously garner row crop grains from combine machines and bring it out of the field to the transport area
Testing: Testing autonomous harvesting system with farmers since 2012; in 2013 three farmers in Iowa and Illinois leased systems without Kinze overseeing operation allowing the farmers to use the technology independently. The Kinze system marries off-the-shelf components, including GPS, radar, laser sensors and video cameras, with custom software that allows the system to react to field obstructions. It was developed in partnership with Jaybridge Robotics.
Availability: Kinze is not currently selling the harvesting system but is working towards full commercialization soon
Price: The price has not yet been set for the system which includes the autonomous driving kit for the tractor and grain cart plus the navigation, path planning, harvester communication and control software systems

Company: Agrobotics, Little Rock, AR
Website: http://www.agrobotics.com/
Product: AutoProbe soil sampling system

Agrobotics AutoProbe
Area of use: Midwest US farm belt
Function: AutoProbe is a towed device which directs the driving of the towed vehicle to enable consistent, uniform and accurately distanced soil samples. The device is capable of pulling over 2,500 cores per hour
Testing: Tested for 7 years in the Mississippi Delta in the Midwest US
Availability: Available now as both a service and a sale; live demos at various US ag shows
Price: Not available

Company: Amazone-Werke Gmbh, Hasbergen, Germany
Website: http://info.amazone.de/DisplayInfo.aspx?id=14033
Product: BoniRob field robot

Amazone-Bosch BoniRob lightweight field robot
Area of use: Work on corn and wheat experimental plots in Germany
Function: Autonomous omnidirectional field robots working in "flocks" for multiple purposes
Testing: Multiple-purpose lightweight robot for weeding, applying fertilizer, inspection being developed with Robert Bosch GmbH
Availability: Only two built; no plans announced for commercialization at this time
Price: No information available

Company: Helper Robotech, Gimhae City, Korea
Website: http://helpersys.co.kr/
Product: BoniRob field robot

Helper Robotech fruit and vegetable grafting robot
Area of use: Korea, Japan and China
Function: Grafting is most common in European and Asian countries as well as in greenhouses worldwide where crop rotation is no longer an option and available land is under intense use. Robotic grafting is relatively new although mechanically-assisted grafting has been going on for a long time.
Testing: Unknown
Availability: Available now
Price: Unknown

Company: AGCO Fendt, Deluth, GA
Website:http://www.agcocorp.com/GuideConnect.aspx
Product: GuideConnect, SectionControl and VarioGuide

AGCO Fendt GuideConnect - driverless 2nd system

AGCO Fendt VarioGuide auto steering system
Area of use: Global
Function: SectionControl integrates various data and enables fully automatic section control via GNSS for ISOBUS-capable sprayers, spreaders and seeders; the VarioGuide night and day auto steering system; and the new GuideConnectin which two tractors act as a unit where one vehicle is unmanned
Testing: GuideConnect is still under development with no known date or area for availability; the following vehicle doesn't have its own obstacle detection which may be why they haven't yet released the product
Availability: All but GuideConnect are available now in the EU and US
Price: Not available for all 3 systems

Company: Rowbot, Minneapolis, MN
Website: http://rowbot.com
Product: Rowbot is a self-driving, multi-use platform that travels between rows of corn, ex: applying nitrogen fertilizer in sync with corn needs. It can also collect sensor data to inform both current and future work. GPS and several sensors keep the robot from trampling the crop

Rowbot in cornfield. Rowbots work in teams to apply nitrogen fertilizer in sync with precision needs
Area of use: US Corn Belt
Function: Rowbot travels between corn rows - often under the leaf canopy - to apply nitrogen fertilizer and also to seed cover crops
Testing: Working in conjunction with Carnegie Robotics on development of the Rowbot.
Availability: Began test marketing this year for in-season nitrogen and cover crop seeding services; plan to widen scope of services in 2015
Price: No information available about the cost of the service

Company: senseFly, Cheseaux-Lausanne, Switzerland
Website: http://www.sensefly.com
Product: eBee Ag

senseFly eBee Ag

senseFly eBee Ag autopilot system and carrying case
Area of use: Global
Function: The eBee ag system includes eMotion software and a carrying case. The software and cameras enable 2 cm per pixel resolution and produce 3D maps and overlays as well as the capability to lay out (and simulate) a flight path for up to 45 minutes of flying time
Testing: Unknown
Availability: The eBee ag system is available now
Price: About $12,000 for the complete system

Company: Conic Systems, Barcelona, Spain
Website: http://www.conic-system.com/
Product: EMP-300 Grafting Robot

Conic Systems EMP-300 Grafting Robot
Area of use: Global
Function: Enables grafting of vegetables and other greenhouse plants
Testing: Unknown
Availability: Now
Price: Not available

Company: Naio Technologies, Toulouse, France
Website: http://naio-technologies.com/
Product: Naio Technologies Oz field robot

Naio Technologies Oz field robot
Area of use: Mostly in France
Testing: Testing next generation of Oz robot (with improved navigation capabilities) in real field conditions in France
Function: The Oz robot serves as an autonomous electric tractor which can be used for weeding and as a transport from harvesters to accumulation points. Oz operates as a self-powered robotic implement rather than a towed implement
Availability: Began selling in 2013
Price: Initially robots are being rented to help customers get familiarized with the product line and to help optimize the utilization. Units are renting/leasing for $315 to $475 per month depending on configuration

Company: Robotic Harvesting, Simi Valley, CA
Website: http://www.roboticharvesting.com
Product: Strawberry harvester, data collector and mobile platform

Robotic Harvesting Strawberry Harvester
Area of use: California
Testing: Ongoing in California
Function: Autonomous mobile device which takes stereovision photos to locate any fruit or vegetable in 3D space and then uses a robot arm to pick and place on a conveyor selected berries
Availability: Unknown
Price: Unknown

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About the author: Frank Tobe

Frank Tobe is the owner and publisher of The Robot Report. After selling his business and retiring from 25+ years as a provider of computer direct marketing and consulting to the Democratic National Committee, major presidential and other campaigns and initiatives, he has energetically pursued a new career in researching and investing in robotics. In 2013 he co-founded Robo-stox™ LLC (renamed to ROBO Global) which developed a tracking index for the robotics industry: the ROBO Global™ Robotics & Automation Index.

The Chemistry of Petrol & The Tetraethyl Lead Story


(18th May) marks the date of birth of Thomas Midgley, who made significant contributions to something many of us make use of on a regular basis: petrol. Midgley was the research assistant to Charles Kettering, and the duo were responsible for the addition of the compound tetraethyl lead to petrol, an innovation that would have a lasting legacy – although perhaps not in the manner that they may have originally envisioned.
Some general background information on petrol (gasoline for our US readers) is probably necessary before we discuss the finer points of Kettering and Midgley’s contributions. Petrol is obtained from crude oil, as is diesel. The two do differ slightly in their composition and properties however. They are obtained from crude oil by fractional distillation, where the oil is heated until it boils and vaporises, then fractions at different boiling point ranges are distilled off. Petrol is formed from fractions that have a boiling point between 35 to 200 degrees celsius, whereas the fractions that form diesel have a boiling point between 250 to 300 degrees celsius.
Both petrol and diesel are composed of mixes of hydrocarbons – compounds, unsurprisingly, containing carbon and hydrogen only. Petrol contains hydrocarbons with chains between five to twelve carbon atoms long, with diesel’s chains being slightly longer at ten to fifteen atoms. Diesel also contains more energy than petrol per litre, making it a more efficient fuel, albeit a more expensive one.
Petrol and diesel engines also work in slightly different ways. In petrol engines, the engine takes in both fuel and air, which a piston then compresses, before the engine’s spark plug ignites the fuel. The combustion reaction that ensues produces energy, and the engine then expels the waste gases produced by this reaction. In diesel engines, only air is taken in at the start of the process, and it is only after this air has been compressed that the fuel is injected. Diesel engines don’t use spark plugs to trigger the combustion reaction – instead, the fuel auto-ignites due to the heat generated by the greater compression used in diesel engines.
In petrol engines, premature combustion can be a problem. Since the fuel is injected at the start of the process, burning of the fuel can sometimes be triggered during the compression process, before the spark plug ignites the fuel at a precise time. This is known as pre-ignition, and can lead to another phenomenon called engine knocking. Knocking occurs when the peak of the combustion reaction doesn’t match up with the stroke of the engine’s piston. This leads to an actual knocking or pinging sound, and can cause damage to the engine – so it’s something we want to avoid.
In order to prevent engine knocking, scientists have added a range of compounds to petrol over the years. You’ve probably come across the octane rating of fuels before – this is essentially a measure of how well the fuel avoids the knocking problem. It’s referenced to two compounds, isooctane and n-heptane. Isooctane is given a standardised octane rating of 100, whereas n-heptane is given a rating of 0. The higher the rating, the better the fuel is at preventing knocking. The numbers between 0 and 100 refer to comparison to mixtures of isooctane and n-heptane; for example, a fuel with an octane rating of 95 would have the same knocking ‘resistance’ as a mixture containing 95% isooctane and 5% n-heptane.
Note that this isn’t the same as the fuel actually consisting of only isooctane and n-heptane, as the scale is just a comparison between the fuel and this mixture. It’s also possible to get octane ratings above 100, as there are other compounds that are even better at avoiding knocking than isooctane. An example is benzene, which has an octane rating of 101.
Knocking is a problem that automobile manufacturers have been trying to solve for decades. As car engines became more powerful in the 1920s, there was a greater necessity to find petrol additives that could reduce knocking. Kettering and Midgley appeared to hit on the perfect solution; a compound called tetraethyl lead appeared to be very successful at minimising knocking, and had the added bonus that it could be patented. It could be added to petrol along with 1,2-dibromoethane, which would react with the lead and prevent it from being deposited in the engine.
Somewhat startlingly, Kettering, Midgley and their colleagues had done next to nothing in the way of research on the potential health effects of tetraethyl lead before its roll out began. Today, this would be unthinkable, but it’s all the more remarkable because the effects of lead poisoning were already comparatively well known at the time, even if it was not fully appreciated that low exposures could still be a cause for concern. Several countries had already banned lead-based white paints in the early 1900s due to concerns regarding lead toxicity – although notably the United States did not do so until 1978.
Kettering and Midgley must have been aware of the potential negative associations at the very least, because their additive was marketed as ‘Ethyl’ by General Motors, pointedly avoiding any mention of its lead component. Midgley himself had to take a break from his work at one point due to developing mild lead poisoning, but still seemingly had complete confidence in the safety of the compound.
It’s worth pointing out that there wasn’t a lack of initial backlash to tetraethyl lead’s inclusion in petrol. Workers at the plant producing the compound started experiencing serious symptoms – collapsing, convulsing, gibbering nonsense, and requiring hospitalisation. Several of the workers died as a consequence, and it wasn’t long before tetraethyl lead was fingered as the culprit. Subsequently a number of cities banned the sale of petrol containing tetraethyl lead, and its production was suspended pending federal investigation.
You might think that that would have been that, but General Motors had had difficulty finding such an effective anti-knock compound, and were loath to discard it after the money they had ploughed into its development. They claimed that no suitable alternatives were available, though later uncovered correspondence shows that Kettering, at least, was fully aware of some of the additives being explored by other competing companies.
The federal investigation found, from rushed and limited experiments with flawed conclusions, that the addition of tetraethyl lead to petrol was not likely to be harmful to the health of the general public, and that its production and sale could be resumed. However, they did note in their summarising comments that their conclusions were subject to criticism, and that future increased motor use could still pose health issues. They concluded by stating that continued investigation into the effects was necessary, and specifically stated, “the committee feels this investigation must not be allowed to lapse.”
Sadly, lapse is pretty much exactly what it did. It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that, as realisation of the health issues that even low levels of lead in the body could cause dawned, countries started to enforce bans on leaded petrol. Its use was slowly scaled down, with most countries completing this phaseout by 2000; however, in a select few countries, leaded petrol is still sold and used. It’s clear the effects of the lead spewed out by engines running on leaded petrol were far more serious than probably even Midgley and Kettering suspected – increased lead blood levels have even been linked with increased rates of violent crime, though this is a link that’s still to be indisputably confirmed.
Today, unleaded petrol still contains anti-knock agents, but a range of different compounds that don’t contain lead are used. Ethanol is one such compound, as well as methyl tertiary-butyl ether (another compound which has attracted some controversy), benzene, and toluene, amongst others. Tetraethyl lead’s legacy still remains though – levels of lead in the soil near roads are still much higher than those in areas further from traffic.
Back to Midgley, and his tale doesn’t end with tetraethyl lead. He was also involved in the discovery of Freon, the widely-used refrigerant gas that was later found to be contributing to the destruction of the ozone layer. He didn’t live to fully comprehend the huge negative environmental impacts of both of these discoveries, however; he contracted polio at the age of 51, leaving him seriously disabled, and died four years later in 1944 when he became entangled in a contraption that had been designed to allow him to be lifted from his bed.

மூட்டுவலியை வீட்டிலேயே இலகுவாக குணமாக்கலாம் .


Tuesday, May 17, 2016

வளரி - தமிழர் தாக்கும் கருவி !


வளரி என்பது ஓடித் தப்பிப்பவர்களை பிடிப்பதற்கு பண்டைய தமிழரால் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்ட ஒருவகை வளைதடி போன்ற ஆயுதம் ஆகும். இதற்கு ஒத்த ஆயுதங்களை வளைதடி, பாறாவளை, சுழல்படை, படைவட்டம் என்றும் அழைத்தனர்.
"வளரிகள் குறிவைத்து எறிவதற்குப் பல முறைகள் உண்டு. பொதுவாக சுழற்றப்பட்டே எறியப்படும். இப்படி எறியப்படும்போது இது செங்குத்தாக அல்லது கிடையாக சுழலும். அல்லது சுழலாமலே செல்லக்கூடும். அதன் சுழற்சி வேகத்திலும் தங்கியுள்ளது. உயிராபத்தை விளைவிப்பதற்கு வளரியானது ஒருவனின் கழுத்தைக் குறிவைத்து எறியப்படும். பொதுவாக கால்களையே தாக்குவதற்கு எறியப்படும்.
வளரி அழிந்து போன பண்டைய தமிழர்களின் ஆயுதம். இது ஆஸ்திரேலிய ஆதிவாசிகளால் உபயோகப்படுத்தப்பட்ட பூமராங் வகை ஆயுத வடிவமைப்பை உடையது. பூமராங் எறிந்தவனுக்கே திரும்பி வந்துவிடும். ஆனால் தமிழனால் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்ட வளரி அப்படியல்ல. வளரிகள் பல்வேறு அமைப்பில் அமைந்துள்ளன. சாதாரணமாக வளைந்த இறக்கை வடிவான மரத்தால் செய்யப்பட்ட துண்டாகும். சில வளரிகளின் விளிம்புகள் பட்டையாக கூராக இருக்கும்.
ஓடுபவர்களை உயிருடன் பிடிக்க, மரத்தால் ஆன வளரியைப் பயன்படுத்துவது உண்டு. கால்களுக்குக் குறிவைத்து சுழற்றி, விசிறி, வீசி விட வேண்டும். சிலவற்றை இரும்பிலும்கூட செய்வார்கள். பட்டையான கூரான வளரியை வீசினால் சுழன்று கொண்டே சென்று, வெட்டுப்படக்கூடிய இலக்காக இருந்தால் சீவித்தள்ளி விடும்"
வளரி மான் வேட்டையின் போது பயன்படுத்தப்படும் ஒரு ஆயுதமாகும். பண்டைய போர் வகைகளிலும் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. தமிழ்நாட்டில் கள்ளர் நாடு, சிவகங்கை - தற்போதைய பட்டுக்கோட்டை, மதுரை, இராமநாதபுரம் ஆகிய மாவட்டங்களின் சில பகுதிகளில் பாவிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கின்றது.
வளரி எறிதல் போட்டிகளும் நடைபெற்றிருக்கின்றன. சிவகெங்கையில் ஆட்சியிலிருந்த மருது சகோதரர்கள், மற்றும் அவர்களது படைத்தளபதிகளான வைத்திலிங்க தொண்டைமான் ஆகியோர் வளரியையே ஆயுதமாகப் பாவித்து ஆங்கிலேயர்களுடன் சண்டையிட்டதாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது.
சங்க இலக்கியத்தில் வளரி:
"வைகை அணைக்கட்டுக்கு அருகிலுள்ள கூடலூர்ப் பகுதியில் ஆனிரை கவரும் கள்வர், எயினர் (மறவர்) போன்ற குலத்தவர்கள் நீண்ட நெடுங்காலமாக வாழ்ந்து வந்துள்ளனர்.

சங்க இலக்கியமாகிய புறநானூறு 347ஆம் பாடலில் "மணம் நாறு மார்பின் மறப்போர் அகுதை குண்டு நீர் வரைப்பின் கூடல்" என்ற ஒரு குறிப்பு உள்ளது. அகுதை என்ற குறுநிலத் தலைவன் ஒருவன் பொன்புனை திகிரி (உலோகத்தாலான சக்ராயுதம்) என்ற ஆயுதத்தைக் கண நேரத்துக்குள், கண்டது உண்மையோ பொய்யோ என்று மருளும் வண்ணம், கண் பார்வைக்குத் தோன்றி மறைந்து விடக்கூடிய வகையில் விரைந்து செலுத்தவல்ல ஒரு வீரன் என்று புறநானூறு 233-ஆம் பாடலில் (அகுதைக் கண் தோன்றிய பொன்புனை திகிரியிற் பொய்யாகியரோ) கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.
மறவர்களின் முதன்மையான போர்க்கருவி என்று இலக்கியங்களும் பிற குறிப்புகளும் தெரிவிக்கின்ற வளைதடி (வளரி)யே திகிரி என்று இப்பாடலில் குறிப்பிடப்படுகிறது."
இவள் 
யாழ் யாழினி

What IS Consciousness


This perplexing puzzle has confounded researchers for several millennia. It is, in fact, a fairly easy problem to solve as long as you don’t start with details and expect, after some investigation, to discover something which you failed to define in the first place. Researchers identify various brain functions and arbitrarily declare them to be part of consciousness even if those functions are in part or whole not even discernable by a conscious individual. Any overarching model of consciousness will necessarily cross over all disciplines concerned with consciousness, not something any scientist focussed on their own specialisation are either equipped for or willing to attempt. The necessary compartmentalization of models with only modest interdisciplinary collaboration has failed to progress Consciousness Studies.
As the evidence for the existence of consciousness in any living system or anywhere else at all comes from the subjective reports of individuals it is prudent to start there, with the assumption that, based on the reports of individuals, consciousness exists and forms some kind of inner world and inner experience. We can, therefore, with some confidence state that in the living human consciousness serves the brain that hosts it, in turn the brain serves the body that hosts it and the body primarily hosts, maintains and extends life including the tools, conditions and environment that supports life and this is the primary purpose of the body.
Running the other way we note that life needs a physical substrate to host it and the physical substrate must be able to perform several functions in support of life, namely to maintain it for some period of time and allow it proliferate in some form. Biological models of life outline the necessary properties of a living thing and evolution by natural and sexual selection outlines the behavioural direction of all living things, the ‘Selfish Gene’ being a more recent model that considers the progress of information accompanying all living things.
The body has several tools with which to perform this task including the organs that includes the nervous system. The nervous system has numerous tools with which to perform its duties including perception, decision making, information storage and a consciousness function which can also be described as ‘life’ in neuronal form.
Whatever the purposes of life are, being in common with all living entities right from the very first here on Earth, they are also the purposes of the body, brain and consciousness. Whilst ultimate purpose may be inaccessible to empirical investigation, those purposes or functions, in generic form, less than the ultimate purpose certainly can be known, outlined and identified with the functions of consciousness. Biological sciences have already identified most of the properties of life and these properties encapsulate all living things and not just primordial living cells.
Subjectively, we ask what it would be like if the life of an individual could reach out through the brain and communicate with us? It can and does. Consciousness can be described as life in neuronal form. We can only see the contents, functions, structure and some of the purposes of life and consciousness but we can not see or capture these directly. Therefore it is prudent to consider what can be known or investigated empirically and leave the reality to the only tool capable of detecting it directly, that is, each individual within the orb of their own subjective experience.
Robert Karl Stonjek

Just hear what Dr BM Hegde says in his simple words regarding coconut oil wich is 100% true.


Blessed with strong scientific acumen in medical science,he advocated the advantages of Coconut oil, thus earning the wrath of multi-million corporate, no doubt he is regarded as “People’s Doctor”. His disdain against the hi-tech stuff for diagnosis when the time tested bedside methods and common sense alone would suffice, have moulded hundreds of future doctors. Presenting interesting insights from an inspirational orator, author of several books, eminent doctor, able administrator, probably the only Indian to become the fellow of all the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the British Isles including Ireland, Padma Bhushan Dr. B M Hegde. (Read Dr. B M Hegde Biography )
Dr B. M. Hegde

The Journey

I would not accept things the way they are, rather always questioned “Why so?” during my childhood, I have kept questioning since then. This ability of questioning has probably got me where I am today! I never nurtured a dream of becoming a doctor during my childhood, I liked mathematics but a professor of mine suggested me to take up biology. I topped school and got into MBBS. Abroad, I discovered a lot of new things- all these drugs are hazardous. My thinking changed when I went to Harvard. I continued with my questioning spree and found loopholes in modern medicine. Now, I work with 15 scientists (out of which 3 are Nobel laureates) doing wonderful things in World Academy of Authentic Healing Sciences and also, I am an editor at ‘Journal of the Science of Healing Outcomes’. We strive to explore real science there and utilise it. For example, running automobile using water, etc!

Modern Education

The idea of current education system was conceived after the First World War by Americans just to control the world- what we call mental slavery.Over the period of time, we are still struggling to get past this mental slavery. Our culture and education was killed by the British long back as they found this was the only way to rule India! Ancient methodologies should be brought back, only then I can see a healthy world! Curiosity to learn should define a curriculum! Let’s stop being a robot following the instructions. Rational thinking has to be brought back.

Global Serenity

Global warming is a planned agenda against the third world nations by the developed nations. They want to rule over and come up with sanctions to reduce the productivity, thus gaining edge. There has been a continuous attack on our heritage, pride, culture and education. Rich people live on the money of poor people. Don’t rob Peter to pay Paul. If all of us become rich, do you think we’ll vote modern, corrupt politicians?! Profit making irrespective of consequences will lead us nowhere. Sense of responsibility on humanity is must.

For geeky youths

Sitting  for many hours in front of a computer will make you a cripple. Don’t run an extra mile for an extra buck. Eventually it’ll cause a lot of health problems. Stop body shopping. No medicines can cure aftereffects. Most of the tablets that you consume go directly to liver for demolition since body sees poisonous content coming into body. Only the food we intake pass through the stomach and the essence is taken. So it’s rightly said,‘For one who knows to consume food intelligently, need not worry of the diseases!’

Ideas: Ideals: India

Coconut oil isonly next to mother’s breast milk, reduces heart diseases and is very good for preventing Alzheimer’s disease. People want operations, they want pills. We are not ready to accept the universal truth if it’s not certified by the west. Most of the modern doctors don’t understand Angioplasty. Blockage in a person is a must. Doctors, who don’t understand go for surgeries leading to more wounds in a healthy heart and mind. Adapt a healthy lifestyle! It’s the cure for all problems.
Harmful contents in deodorants have gotten inside our genes causing vital effects. Take bath regularly! Organic farming has to be made popular. Biotechnology, white revolutionand genetic engineering is leading us nowhere. We don’t understand nature. With our selfish behaviour, we give much hazardous content to nature. Everything comes back to the nature. It’ll come back in our food and water, eventually causing ailing effects.
Preserve your health state till you die, your body itself can cure all the diseases, use your internal doctor empowered by yoga, breathing techniques and genuine Ayurveda.
Dr. Hegde begins his article with some quotations by famous people, and offers them as evidence that medicine in the past was better than it is today:
The quote below is one of the many brilliant sayings of that great brain, Sir William Osler. ‘One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicines.’


Dr. Hegde, I guess you forgot to mention that this was intended for the quacks who call their wares “medicine”. I challenge you to nevertake any medicines. Also, William Osler has also said this: “The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism.”
In the 21 century, I could only echo that great sentiment as a truism, despite all the tall talk about the “so-called” evidence-based medicine. Napoleon Bonaparte went one step further, but one could argue that he was not a physician. He was at the receiving end of such a medical practice when he died. “Medicine is a collection of uncertain prescriptions the results of which, taken collectively, are more fatal than useful to mankind.” Napoleon, though, was more accurate scientifically today.
The thing to remember is the time when these people made those alleged comments. What was medicine then? It was not what we have today! There was not much useful or factual there in “Medicine” in those days. It involved primitive practices like Leeching, Blood letting, Purging, etc. No wonder people tried to come up with all kinds of “alternatives”. Evidence Based Scientific Medicine (EBSM) has marched on tremendously in the past 100 years to be entirely different from what these gentlemen knew at their times as “medicine”. If I could point out a proverb in Tamil, “Aayiram paerai konnaathaan, ara vaithiyan!” (it’s only when you kill a thousand people that one can become even half a doctor) – that was medicine for you in those days. Trial and error; no proper scientific methodology. That was the basis of your “ancient medicine”.
The latest science says uncertainty is the only certainty in the world. This is truer in medical science.
Really? Is there any uncertainty about what causes Malaria? Or Tuberculosis? Or what is the reason for Down’s syndrome or the fact that Rickets is caused by Vitamin D deficiency, or that Nyctalopia (Night blindnesss) is caused by Vitamin A deficiency? I wonder which “medical science” you are talking about. I am sure you are referring to the medical “science” of S.C.A.M.s (So-called Complementary & Alternative Medicines) and not Evidence Based Scientific Medicine (EBSM).
A proverb is a short sentence based on a long experience. If that were so, this one from Voltaire would take the cake: “The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”
Again, just imagine the level of advancement of “medicine” during Voltaire’s times, viz., the 18th century. That would explain why the great man said that. The same Voltaire also said, “A witty saying proves nothing!”.
Time and again, I have written in my articles elsewhere that our evidence base has been built on loose sand.
Have you provided any good evidence for this allegation? Even assuming it is built on loose sand, that doesn’t mean you start questioning its basic principles. Our endeavour must be to strengthen the foundation and tighten that “loose sand”. The evidence base is the ONLY way to a better system. And as with everything scientific, the “evidence base” is not any infallible and unquestionable dogma! The quest for betterment is a never-ending process that is constantly scrutinized rigorously and in the process ironing out the flaws, accepting newer evidence and discarding proven false or spurious evidence. Perhaps you can read about Barry Marshall to find out how important it is to provide evidence before your hypothesis is taken seriously.
Of course, no one seems to take it seriously.
Yes sir…
They would have, if it had any financial interest behind it.
I knew this was coming! 🙂
The present Randomised Controlled Trials and linear relations help generate billions of dollars in chemical therapeutics even if that results in thousands dying of our efforts directly or indirectly. A study by researchers in a respectable U.S. university of the placebo-based RCTs did show that the contents of the placebo capsule, which need not legally be made known to the regulating agencies like the FDA, were very potent substances that would show the company drug as very effective in comparison. To cite an example, anti-diabetic drugs are usually compared with sugar filled placebo capsules! Many such glaring criminal activities have come to light now in the field of “Evidence-based medicine” of today!


Do you realize what you have just said? I hope you are blaming the individual trials and not the method. If it’s the former, then you are entitled and even upright about it; but in case you are trying to deride the method itself then I am afraid that your argument is a weak one. http://www.bmj.com/content/316/7126/201.full

Perhaps you didn’t notice this: Even this information bringing to light the despicable act of manipulating trials to show the desired end results, was a result of another study which was again scientific! I would like to point out once again that SCIENCE IS SELF-CORRECTING. There is nothing dogmatic about science. That is the beauty of “Evidence Based” science. Even the fact that there were some unscrupulous practices going on was found out because of the rigorous, unyielding and unbiased methods of science.

Recently, I had a message from one of my students, who is a leading dermatologist in India doing innovative research. “I always wondered when I used to listen to you during my student days and respected your views all along. In dermatology evidence is found only in 28 per cent of published studies. All molecular biology companies come with an offer to give authorship if we buy their equipment for our laboratory! Doesn’t that mean that most molecular biology studies are prototype and try to find out how what is known fits into their study?”
So what? Really, so what? How can that equate to “Evidence Based Scientific Medicine is flawed”? The evidence in this case is bad. And let me reassure you that the inherent, self-correcting methods of science will iron out the flaws in due course of time. Haven’t you heard of drugs being recalled, for example? There is a regulatory body, and perhaps there may be evil, corrupt individuals in those. But all of them are accountable and they eventually get found out, sooner rather than later.
The foundations of our evidence in modern medicine like the statistical risk calculations, (especially the relative risk reductions in place of absolute risk reductions that are sold to gullible doctors in most of the “scientific” articles without mentioning the NNT figures) and, the RCTs, which have no true science base, are very shaky, indeed.
Now are you accusing the foundation itself to be flawed? I agree that the “Big, Evil” Pharma companies might indulge in these kinds of shady activities. But have you ever wondered why they still keep talking in terms of RCTs, etc? That is because these are the only methods to assess efficacy accurately. Can you envision any other more valid method?

But when a Professor like you doesn’t understand it, how can we expect the general crowd to? The key remains not in deriding the method but in educating the doctors and consumers about assessing claims and analysing the research methodologies. A dose of skepticism is what we need to prescribe. I suggest you read the book “Bad Science” by Dr. Ben Goldacre. In fact, if I could, I would make this book a compulsory subject for all school students!

We need to have a new science of man, which is sadly missing in this whole bargain.
New science? What’s that? It is either science or it is nonsense, period. There is nothing like ancient science, medieval science, modern science, Indian science, Chinese science, Islamic science, voodoo science, or occult science. Anything that follows the scientific method is science. The rest is mere pretence.

Let us continue:
Physics changed in 1925 and there is no more physics, but we still use the same old physics laws for our statistics.
Again, so what? General relativity may have superceded Newtonian physics, BUT for basic purposes and practical ease, Newtonian physics is still good enough unless you want to pick on the nitty gritties. Don’t tell me it is totally useless. Not at all! It still gives fairly good understanding for all basic purposes. And your point that the “same old physical laws” are being used for our statistics is a non sequitur. Things won’t change much if we use the newer methods. It’s not that if we apply the latest, cutting edge physical laws, then automatically all the S.C.A.M.s will be validated while EBSM will be discredited. But hey, why don’t you try it?
Matter is not made up of matter. Matter and energy are interchangeable. (journalofcosmology.com/QuantumConsciousness106.html) Human molecules communicate with one another which can now be documented through the photon lights emitted from each DNA.
Woo, and more woo. Notions of “quantum consciousness” have been debunked. Let’s restate what you have said, shall we? “Human molecules communicate with one another which can now be documented through the photon lights emitted from each DNA.”

What?! How can molecules communicate with one another? Then what about the molecules in an inanimate object? Are they any different from those in lifeforms? You are credulous, and I hope you learn some critical thinking skills.

What is the science base of our reductionism, organ based specialisation and our reliance on Mendelian inheritance?
The proof lies in the pudding. These concepts have been proven to be working.
Instead of trying to rehash the existing evidence base, it is better to think of a new evidence base for health and illness.
Well, nothing wrong with that. All the progress everywhere is precise because of this. And this is in fact a key feature of science! A new evidence base that you are advocating is indeed worthwhile. But rest assured that unless the current concepts are “DIS” proved, they will remain. The aim is not in formulating dogmatic theories and sticking obdurately to them but in better understanding of medical science. Newer evidence is always welcome. In fact, any newer evidence that might contradict the existing concepts will be thoroughly investigated and gladly accepted if it stands up to rigorous scrutiny. So, if you really have some ‘new evidence base for health and illness’ then please put them forward for peer review. Let’s see how they stack up to current knowledge.
Health is a state where each human body cell is in sync with other cells. Illness is when this communication breaks down. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophoton)
This is no different from the concept of the “Ancient Wisdom” (this term itself is a fallacy- something ancient need not necessarily be wise) involving the “phlegms”, “biles”, “imbalances” and various other fanciful words. You have merely rehashed those ancient concepts of biles and phlegms into a new-age version of “communication and sync between molecules”.

Now, that’s an assertion and a statement… if you can back it up with evidence and how it can be falsified, then it will be useful. Thank you.

We need a new non-linear, holistic, dynamic, scientific base for future medical research.
Only the Scientific part is essential. It will definitely encompass useful contributions (if any) from the other mentioned parts.
Nature has provided a robust repair mechanism inside the human system –
May be robust, but not ALWAYS satisfactorily complete. And for your kind information, cancer is “natural” too.
– which has been weakened by our modern lifestyle.
So, blame the modern lifestyle. Don’t blame the science. And in fact, even this information results from a SCIENTIFIC inquiry.
Even though both Claude Bernard and Louis Pasteur did note that the “terrain is more important than the seed” we have gone the whole hog on the seed, risk factors, and what have you. Modern medicine has forgotten the essence of illness care which is basically strengthening the terrain.
More bunk! Where exactly has ‘modern medicine’ forgotten the essence of illness care and strengthening the terrain? I hope you are aware and have not forgotten about the “Preventive & Social Medicine” field. It is an elementary subject in medicine and one cannot become a doctor without studying it.
Our ancient wisdom Indian Ayurveda and many other complementary systems stress just that fact to strengthen one’s immune system. Ayurveda has many immune boosting modalities in its armamentarium.
I was wondering when this would come up. The various S.C.A.M.s (including Ayurveda) might talk about “strengthening the immune system” but what do they offer? What exactly does “strengthening the immune system” mean? It’s easy to say such things, but what is their understanding of the immune system? It’s zilch! They knew nothing about illnesses! All that they had was a defunct concept involving such chimerical entities such as Vata, Pita & Kapha! Do you have any literature of the so called “Ancient Wisdom” that actually explains the immune system of the body and methods to strengthen it?
Many simple methods which have stood the test of time are being forgotten now, thanks to the brainwashing of the masses through mass media advertisements about the wrong approaches to keep one healthy.
For example? Can you name just one? These ancient systems may not entirely be useless. Let us point out that, it is a simple equation… If there is a way these ancient systems can help then it is by pointing out these “simple methods” that the ancient systems may have found out by trial and error, so that science can analyze it scientifically, identify the exact component of the concoction that is effective in alleviating the symptoms, the therapeutic characteristics, the adverse effects, ceiling dose, antidote in case of over dosage, and any safer alternative for the effective individual component including a synthetic form.
The leading one among them is goading people to have a regular “health” check-up.
Having a regular health check up is not a crime! What exactly in this practice do you find is bad? Let’s say someone is willing to sponsor a regular health checkup, will you suggest to decline it? Why?
Nothing could be more dangerous than that to apparently healthy people.
That is a condescendingly nonsensical statement. I urge you to re-read it and correct it forthwith. NOT getting a regular health checkup is more dangerous than getting one regularly. Every single time! Just imagine yourself with a tumor or a brain aneurysm waiting to burst! Or perhaps a glaucoma?

And, I wonder how we can know if someone is healthy or not, without taking recourse to some scientific method?

When one is healthy one should NEVER ever go for a check up!
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The common man will have the doubt as to how he/she could know about health. One is healthy when one has a) enthusiasm to work and b) enthusiasm for being compassionate. One of the ancient exercises could be the most potent modern medicine, a daily walk if one is not a physical labourer. Universal love is another life-giving elixir.
How do you think do we know these things confidently unless we apply the methods of science? You are forgetting that studies & researches are also part of EBSM. And I shall be glad if you can point out where exactly in the literatures of EBSM has it been clearly mentioned to avoid physical activity & shy away from universal love? You are creating a canard as if EBSM promotes sedentary lifestyle and fatalistic hatred. It’s actually the ancient scriptures that promote unhealthy lifestyles and bigotry!


After 25 years follow-up of one of the largest-ever studies of risk factors (which are being sold to the gullible public day in, day out as silent killers), the MRFIT study (Multiple Risk Factor Interventional Trial) observed that: “In conclusion, we have shown that it is possible to apply an intensive long-term intervention program against three coronary risk factors, high blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking with considerable success in terms of risk factor changes. The overall results do not show a beneficial effect on CHD or total mortality from this multiple risk factors intervention trial. (Zukel, Paul and Schnaper, 1981).”

In other words, they found that changing the “risk factors” does not apparently change the risks. This necessarily means that the “risk factors” are not as important as was thought. Indeed, it should be concluded that the “risk factors” were no such thing, at least as far as this trial is concerned.
Did you even realize that what you are saying here is also a part of the scientific method? EBSM involves precisely this. Everything follows the scientific method. Okay, now that you are sure that changing the “risk factors” does not apparently change the risks, I challenge you to indulge in smoking, high cholesterol food and avoiding any kind of measure against high blood pressure including anti-hypertensives if you may be taking any!
hardly any significant difference in the outcomes in mortality between the groups whose blood pressure was tightly controlled with drugs and the groups that changed their mode of living to a healthier one.
Again I repeat, where exactly in the annals of EBSM is it stated unambiguously that only medications need to be taken and no change to a healthy lifestyle must be undertaken? Your research methodology needs a lot of work here. Variables must always be separated! Let’s see a group that takes only medications and no change to a healthier lifestyle and compare that with a similar group that takes no medications and refuses to change to a healthier lifestyle. What do you think would the result be? Any guesses, sir?
Surrogate end point research could, at times, be dangerous especially in medicine where the NNT (a statistical term denoting the number needed to treat) is prohibitively high.
Well, what exactly do you propose as an alternative to the medications in such cases? If you are going to harp about lifestyle modification, then I wish to point out that lifestyle modification need not be considered as something alien to EBSM. These studies that you are citing are part and parcel of the scientific method that EBSM espouses. If we do a study and find that something is not that effective, we try to modify it or abandon it and move on in the search for better modalities and interventions. Simple. (Aside – I hope you  are aware of  orphan drugs?)
I am sure the reader by now would have realised the significance of what William Osler’s prophetic statement of 1905 meant when the great physician did not have any of these powerful drugs that we have today.
Well sir, you have yourself admitted that they did not have the powerful drugs (and the investigation tools, and most importantly the knowledge) that we have today.
Cure rarely, comfort mostly but, console always should be our motto when one is ill.
I prefer this: Cure every time (if a cure is available); comfort every time (this is certainly possible); console always.
Patient care simply is caring for the patient.
Well, you are playing to the gallery now. You didn’t care much for humanity when you made such loose statements as, “When one is healthy one should NEVER ever go for a check up”.
Let me make a fervent plea for parsimony in using drugs in the healthy segment of the population, by labelling these so-called risk factors as silent killers, in the fond hope of averting major problems in the future.
Well, even I am not averse to parsimony in using drugs in the healthy segment of the population, by labelling these so-called risk factors as silent killers, in the fond hope of averting major problems in the future. But let us apply that same parsimony to unproven, unscientific systems of S.C.A.M.s, which are far more dangerous and useless.
We simply do not have any scientific evidence for their benefit as of now.
Thank you for finally using the words “scientific evidence”. That is the key point of this extended rebuttal of your claptrap.