Prescribing placebos

Illusion is disease mongering

BMJ 2008; 337 doi: 10.1136/bmj.a2686 (Published 25 November 2008)
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2686

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

  1. Alain Braillon, hepatologist1,
  2. Aurore Bernardy-Prud’homme, resident doctor1
  1. 1University Hospitals, 80000 Amiens, France
  1. braillon.alain{at}chu-amiens.fr

    Tilburt and colleagues show that most specialists are either practising magic or are insane—that is, prescribing a placebo and saying so.1 The placebo “effect” is well known: in the 18th century Benjamin Franklin and Antoine …

    Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment

    Article access

    Article access for 1 day

    Purchase this article for £20 $30 €32*

    The PDF version can be downloaded as your personal record

    * Prices do not include VAT

    THIS WEEK'S POLL