A social media clash erupted between Indian Chess Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi and prominent hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips—widely known online as The Liver Doc—after the latter commented on Gujrathi’s Doctor’s Day post that featured his family members. The feud escalated when Dr Philips challenged the medical credentials of Gujrathi’s family, prompting a pointed rebuttal from the grandmaster, who accused the liver specialist of trolling and ridiculing his loved ones.
The controversy began when Gujrathi shared a post to mark Doctor’s Day, expressing gratitude to his family members, whom he identified as medical professionals. “My father is an Ayurvedic migraine specialist, my wife is an MD homoeopathy, my mom does cosmetology, and my sister is a physiotherapist,” he wrote.
However, Dr Philips replied to the post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “I am sorry, but none of them are really doctors.”
The remark prompted an intense backlash from Gujrathi, who later addressed the situation in a follow-up post: “I made a simple post out of gratitude. I chose silence at first, because not every conversation deserves a response. But when it turned into mocking my family, I stepped in.”
“If that means stepping out of my lane, so be it,” he continued. “You and trolls like you don’t get to decide who’s a doctor. You have no authority to define others’ lives or dismiss their work. I’ve said my part. Now, back to what actually matters. No time for noise.”
Responding to the furore, Dr Philips defended his stance, insisting his reply was based purely on professional grounds. In an extended response, he wrote, “Hello, Vidit. I am not a fan of chess, but you are an important person for our country and I did not mean to offend your family. I am sure they are good people. I was stating plain facts from a professional standpoint and I do not mince my words. You may call that ego or whatever, to console yourself, no problem.”
He clarified that his objection was rooted in science and public health accuracy: “Your statement on Doctor’s Day claiming an Ayurveda practitioner, Homeopath, Cosmetologist and a Physiotherapist were doctors is wrong and I stand by my words. Doctor’s Day in India marks both the birth and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, one of India's most revered physicians and a key figure in shaping the healthcare system.”
“Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Cosmetology or Physiotherapy are not realistic clinical medicine and their practitioners are not clinical physicians,” he asserted. “Physiotherapy is a legit branch of healthcare (adjunct to clinical medicine), but the rest are just plain sham—especially Homeopathy, which is also known as Nazi Medicine because Hitler tried to integrate it with conventional medicine at the time.”
Dr Philips further added, “You got all worked up and started personally attacking me because you were ignorant of this fact. I do not need to keep an ego towards a chess GM or his family. You don't make me insecure and your family is of no concern to me from a professional standpoint.”
However, he expressed concern over the influence Gujrathi’s statements might have on public health perceptions. “What you claim them to be has major public health consequence, because someone of your stature, being ignorant about science and health, affects public perception of realistic healthcare and pseudoscientific practices.”
“Your statements normalise pseudoscience and primitive therapies as healthcare practices when they are not. They are alternative medicine. And alternative medicine is medicine that is not proven to work. Just like there is no alternative chemistry, alternative physics or alternative mathematics, alternative medicine is also not medicine. And its practitioners are not doctors.”
Emphasising his credentials, Dr Philips noted, “I am a certified internist with a doctorate in hepatology and liver transplant medicine with 260 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 4,400 citations and an h-index of 30 (just for your information). You don't know me and how useful I am to my patients and their families. I suggest you do a bit of homework before throwing such childish tantrums.”
He concluded with a jibe: “I am staying in my lane and always have. Calling out medical misinformation is what I do apart from being a full-time doctor. I suggest you stay in your lane and discuss more on chess. Sorry for the checkmate. And for a change, talk about chess and try being useful. All the best for your future matches.”
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