The dark ages

The only ages that are dark are those that inhibit thought, especially thought contrary to one's own.

This seems to be tried out as an experiment: http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rajasthan-government-plans-to-use-cow-urine-as-a-disinfectant-in-hospitals-760777

The pilot project will start with one ward of Jaipur's biggest hospital -- the Sawai Man Singh Hospital. A team of doctors will compare the result with that of another ward where a regular disinfectant has been used.

"I will put a team of doctors there to study for a month and we will then be able to establish how effective is the cow urine and if it really works or not," said the state's health minister Rajendra Rathore...

If a scientific study is being undertaken, should we simply belittle it because the subject of the study seems ridiculous to us? Or doesn't scientific temper warrant us to keep an open mind, and to judge an outcome purely on the basis of empirical evidence? To me, this study appears to be an exercise to find empirical evidence. If evidence is found supporting cow urine's disinfecting properties then one set of people can go around saying "I told you so", and if evidence is not found then the other set of people can go around saying "I told you so". But at least there will be a scientific basis to do so.

Is that a bad thing?