If I recall, even Transport Minister Raymond Lim used the term in responding to a point about solutions to public transport ('Gantries in heartland to make residential areas more liveable', Feb 16).

If doctors are practising good and ethical medicine keeping patients' safety as paramount in mind, taking all the precautions necessary and keeping the patients informed fully of the risks and complications, why should they feel hurt about being accused of selling snake oil?

Problems arise when greed comes into the picture and starts interfering with the doctors' better judgement, as for instance, when they apply certain operative procedures which are not really needed or not within their competence. That is when complications and ugly lawsuits surface which smear the reputation of the entire profession.

Let's not hammer the messenger, The Straits Times, but listen carefully to the substance of what the messenger brings instead.

Lim Boon Hee