The only way to convince the experts - make yourself sick

Dr. Barry J. Marshall, a young Australian physician, discovered that peptic ulcers are caused by a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori. Dr. Marshall's colleagues, stuck firmly in the received wisdom that ulcers are caused by psychological stress, thought his idea absurd. They ignored for years the evidence for a bacterial cause of ulcers - evidence Dr. Marshall was able to see. So convinced was Dr. Marshall that he was right, he used himself as a guinea pig, drinking the bacteria to prove that it turned his once healthy stomach diseased. Eventually his ideas were accepted. (NY Times 1/12/99 page F4)