Years ago, I was discussing the status of a medical research experiment with a colleague. Things weren't going well. The data weren't co-operating with either our theory or our solution to a sticky problem.
My friend stopped by to take a look at some of the messy data in my lab notebook. And, he offered a helpful comment,
"It is what it is."
Oh yea, it was supposed to be an experiment, and gosh what a mess, and we were proven wrong. But, it is what it is. That is also why you aren't supposed to tear the pages out of lab notebooks. But you also have to be careful about adding pages to the notebook that don't belong there.
Dr. Feinman just wrote another blogpost about the problems with "intent to treat" methods of analysis. Please visit and take a good read here.
I am glad he decided to take another look at the ITT method and how misleading it can be. This isn't the first time either he or I have brought the problem to the attention of others via blogging. And I am sure it won't be the last time I cover it.
You can read my earlier post here.
I am reminded that when a particularly ill-informed "expert" admonished people and told them that they should be reading the research, she probably didn't understand the problems with much of it. Well, go ahead and read the research, and you might be even more uneasy about what to eat than ever.
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