Publication

2005-06-03 - Prometheus Books

Language

English

Word Count

87,500 words, Guess

Page Count

350 pages

Physical Format

Paperback

Identifiers

and 3 more
  • Library of Congress Control Number2005006906
  • LibraryThing1741633
  • Goodreads139685

Classifications

  • LCCR726.5.T488 2005

Description

Reviews the history of the placebo effect--the positive effects of the doctor's presence and personality lus the patient's belief in the efficacy of the treatment--and the evidence of its benefits to health. He looks at both the planned use of placebos in blind clinical trials and the unplanned placebo effects arising out of the doctor/patient relationship, the passage of time, and the perceptions of the patient. He emphasizes that placebos in themselves have no intrinsic benefit; what matters is how the treatment is provided and under what circumstances.

First Sentence

Before the advent of modern, "evidence-based" medicine, physicians commonly employed sugar pills or other harmless nostrums as treatment.

Subjects

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