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New York Times
To the Editor:
Re "Placebo Effect Is More Myth Than Science, Study Says" (news article, May
24):
It is self-evident that the so-called placebo effect is just as imaginary as
is the therapeutic effect of any other kind of faith healing. In addition,
the term is an offensive relic of medical paternalism.
What is a placebo? A lie that the physician tells the patient. Accordingly,
the placebo is not a species of treatment, but a species of deception - just
as malingering is not a species of illness, but a species of deception.
An ounce of clear thinking is worth a pound of research into the mysteries
of the obvious.
THOMAS SZASZ, M.D.
Syracuse, May 24, 2001
The writer is professor emeritus of psychiatry at SUNY.
Thomas S. Szasz Cybercenter
for Liberty and Responsibility:
"Placebos, Healing and a Mother's Kiss"
Letters to the Editor
May 29, 2001
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