PEDIATRICS Vol. 79 No. 4 April 1987, pp. A36
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WHEN DO WE HAVE "SUFFICIENT" EVIDENCE?

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[In a recent] report, one of the signatories ... apparently having second or third thoughts considered the evidence "falls far short of proof"—an implication that we can measure distance from an absolute called proof. This lust for "absolute" proof represents a view of science that is mistaken, dangerously so, since it interferes with two types of endeavour: translating scientific evidence into public health policy and pursuing research into the social causation of illhealth.