User talk:Ralfa

Placebo information (papers, etc)

 * Hello, I've recently been reviewing the Placebo pages and I have been very impressed by your contributions in the discussion. I'm currently working on a historical piece on the subject, and I'm interested to know if you have formally written on placebo. If so, could you please forward me some references of your own work for consultation. Feel free to contact me via email at rwalfa@gmail.com . Best regards, Ralfa 13:07, 15 June 2007 (UTC) (transferred from by Lindsay658 on 17 June 2007)

Ralfa, I am fully immersed in a Ph.D. at the moment; and, therefore don't have much time.

Simply, I have nothing published to date. In more detail, most journals have little interest in the sort of cross-discipline study that any reasonable account of (a) the origins of the term placebo, (b) the history of the use of placebo controls, and (c) precisely why there is no "placebo effect" in the dummy drug, and only a "placebo response" in the experimental subject.

Also, they seem to be very keen on the notion that the term "placebo" is 100% interchangeable with "little sugar pill".

However, if you have specific questions, and if you are able to describe quite specifically what form, theme and audience is intended for your "historical piece on the subject", I might be able to help you.

One warning (I don't have the papers at hand so this is from memory) -- don't get sucked into the myth that Beecher coined the term placebo or, even worse, that he actually spoke of a "placebo effect" (he always spoke of subjects' placebo responses).

Beecher was actually writing about the structure and protocols of drug trials, and he was advocating far stricter level of controls in drug trials because he had noticed the well-attested fact that many subjects found placebos efficacious.

A careful reading of Beecher, however, will unearth the "pure gold" of the statement by Beecher to the effect that:
 * we should never just think of "the PLACEBO" as being the ACTIVE DRUG minus the "active ingredient(s)", and
 * we should always also constantly think of the ACTIVE DRUG as being the "active ingredient(s)" plus "the PLACEBO" (and, in my view, if you maintain this position you will never go wrong).

Also, if we are to have some sort of discussion, interaction etc. on this matter, I think it is better to have it on this page. In hasteLindsay658 05:03, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, I appreciate your response. I'm simply trying to put together a more accurate story of placebo in the twentieth century. In any case, I would rather not discuss this further on Wiki because (1) technically, I would be plagiarising myself if I posted something here first and (2) I cannot acknowledge/cite any contribution you might make as an anonymous wiki comment. Best regards.