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Actually this may not be true. The use of willow bark for fever was not based on any theory about prostaglandin synthase inhibition. Similarly for foxglove leaf. Gold for rheumatoid arthritis was used originally because it was thought to be useful for TB but the Empire Rheumatism Trial of gold...

We all do it. This is why this forum is so useful. We bang ideas about enough to shake out all the dust of cross-purpose misconception in the end.

I am confused now. In these terms Godwin is right. An experiment that is unable to falsify a hypothesis is of not value as a test of that hypothesis. I don't think Sharpe even understands what Godwin is going on about here. But I think David is right to suggest that Godwin may be focusing on...

I have run that clip a few times and I think it is reasonable to interpret him as intending to be understood as referring to all the prior peer review rather than at his office. It would certainly make sense if one of the Dutch team was asked.

I wonder who actually reviewed the PACE manuscript for the Lancet?

I thought those early trials were 'you're too kind Michael, they were not really even trials, just treating some patients.'

I don't think he can. His whole speciality of liaison psychiatry?psychosomatic medicine is built on theories that do not take on board the fact that human nature brings bias into experiments. He shows a complete misunderstanding of human nature in his comments about David, his responses to...

The other one has bells on.

This is from a psychiatrist, who knows about human nature?

A bit more for that notebook. (the tweets) Wicked (the popcorn)

We're on to "Solitude" now

This Godwin chap seems to be seriously cool under all that trying to be humble bit. I think he has probably understood that some people you don't win over. I must remember to put that last tweet in my notebook.

Oh, YES! We have a CD of Great Original Performances by Duke Ellington 1927-34 on the go. It has just the right swing. "What can a poor fellow do?" "Fast and Furious" "Hot and Bothered" "Stompy Jones" .... Hotting up nicely.

Godwin: 'That seems possible. There's a lot of rubbish research out there, produced primarily by people who aren't actively trying to produce rubbish. I'd say it's bigger than psychiatry, quite frankly.' It's bigger than psychiatry but liaison psychiatry/psychosomatics seems to be very...

Bad tactics by Sharpe I would say. There is a chance that Godwin has not actually read the paper yet. If he does then things can only get much worse.

The 'model' is just 'GET and CBT are useful treatment for ME/CFS'. PACE probably did not involve an adequate risk of showing this is wrong, if it is. Although it does a pretty good job of showing it is wrong.

Sharpe really does seem to be trying to persuade himself and everyone else that data entail interpretations. If you have a 'positive result' that means that you can predict that it will apply in routine practice. The whole point of complex trial design is that this is only the case if you are...

I am pleased to see that Godwin is taking interest. I get what he is saying but it does seem a bit complicated. A simpler critique is that if you train one lot of people to try to believe they are improving and you do not train another lot then it tells you nothing useful if the first lot say...

Not necessarily. The correspondence between people like Descartes, Hobbes, Newton, Leibniz, Arnauld and Locke betweem 1640 and 1690 very often look pretty Gish Gallopy. But as a result the faults in Descartes's mechanical system were resolved to produce something that lasted until 1900 or so...

You need to work on the sensitive discussion bit @Lucibee. The you will be an expert and can supervise others. They are always so sensitive with patient delusions.