Document Detail


The remote prayer delusion: clinical trials that attempt to detect supernatural intervention are as futile as they are unethical.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18757618     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Extreme rates of premature death prior to the advent of modern medicine, very low rates of premature death in First World nations with low rates of prayer, and the least flawed of a large series of clinical trials indicate that remote prayer is not efficacious in treating illness. Mass contamination of sample cohorts renders such clinical studies inherently ineffectual. The required supernatural and paranormal mechanisms render them implausible. The possibility that the latter are not benign, and the potentially adverse psychological impact of certain protocols, renders these medical trials unethical. Resources should no longer be wasted on medical efforts to detect the supernatural and paranormal.
Authors:
G Paul
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of medical ethics     Volume:  34     ISSN:  1473-4257     ISO Abbreviation:  J Med Ethics     Publication Date:  2008 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-09-01     Completed Date:  2008-11-24     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7513619     Medline TA:  J Med Ethics     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  e18     Citation Subset:  E; IM    
Affiliation:
gsp1954@aol.com
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Clinical Trials as Topic / ethics*
Faith Healing / ethics,  psychology*
Humans
Religion and Medicine*
Religion and Psychology*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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