I've been reading quite a few Science books and websites recently, and they often describe the double-blind testing method within which two groups of patients will be observed: one taking a new, potentially-effective drug, and the other taking a 'placebo', essentially a non-medicinal do-nothing pill. In each case, neither group knows whether it's getting the real thing or the placebo (nor do those administering the drugs, if it's truly a double-blind test), and therefore the differing results - if any! - can be measured objectively.
As I came across the umpteenth instance of this sort of thing, I thought of the perfect Onion article:
Placebo: The Great Cure-All!
In a shocking turn of events this week, scientists have discovered that the material contained within placebo pills is actually a miracle drug! Long used in testing new pharmaceutical offerings, the placebo was always assumed to be ineffective and therefore the perfect contrast when looking for positive effects from a new medication. However, that belief was stood on its head this week when careful analysis of the supposedly-benign substance revealed that it has beneficial properties for nearly every affliction known to man! "It's unbelievable," stated Dr Stephen Colbert, lead scientist at Prescott Pharmaceutical. "For years we've thought placebos were worthless, and here the whole time we've had a wonder drug right under our very noses!" Dr Colbert went on to speculate about just how many failed drug trials of the past several decades were incorrectly slandered when they produced no better results than the now-highly-touted placebo treatment. "The mind boggles," Dr Colbert concluded.
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