This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/28/hepatitis-claim
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Hepatitis claim | Hepatitis claim |
| (7 months later) | |
| Your article (Scientists sceptical about device that 'remotely detects hepatitis C', 26 February) is highly questionable on a number of counts. There is no hypothesis suggesting how the technique works and there are no reported blind trials, both of which are basic ways to identify the validity of a science story. The simple fact that a user states that a technique works is entirely anecdotal and unacceptable. Medical science must have at its core evidence rather than conjecture. Fast detection of diseases is vitally important to public health but even more important is the reliability of the reported outcome. We can't afford to get it wrong, either by missing a disease or reporting one where it doesn't exist | Your article (Scientists sceptical about device that 'remotely detects hepatitis C', 26 February) is highly questionable on a number of counts. There is no hypothesis suggesting how the technique works and there are no reported blind trials, both of which are basic ways to identify the validity of a science story. The simple fact that a user states that a technique works is entirely anecdotal and unacceptable. Medical science must have at its core evidence rather than conjecture. Fast detection of diseases is vitally important to public health but even more important is the reliability of the reported outcome. We can't afford to get it wrong, either by missing a disease or reporting one where it doesn't exist |
| The hepatitis divining rod is an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary evidence, yet that evidence is nowhere to be seen. I'm surprised that a story such as this is given column space in a paper of the quality of the Guardian. Professor Malcolm Sperrin Director of medical physics, Royal Berkshire Hospital | The hepatitis divining rod is an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary evidence, yet that evidence is nowhere to be seen. I'm surprised that a story such as this is given column space in a paper of the quality of the Guardian. Professor Malcolm Sperrin Director of medical physics, Royal Berkshire Hospital |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |
Previous version
1
Next version