Sir Richard Doll to speak at the University

Published: 28 April 2003

On 30 April, Sir Richard Doll (University of Oxford) will give a lecture at the meeting of the Royal Statistical Society, to be held at the University of Glasgow

SIR RICHARD DOLL, HONORARY CONSULTANT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES UNIT, UNIVERSITY of OXFORD, will lecture on "Proof of Causality: Can Epidemiology provide it?" on Wednesday 30 April at 6pm in Room 407 (Lecture Theatre A), Level 4, Boyd Orr Building. Tea/Coffee will be served from 5.30 in the foyer.

Synopsis
Cause may be defined in several ways. For the present purpose a cause of disease is distinguished from the cause and is defined as an agent that is associated with a disease in such a way that increased exposure to it is followed by an increased risk of the disease. Whether epidemiology alone can provide proof that an agent is a cause in strict logic may be questioned, but it can provide 'proof beyond reasonable doubt' that is sufficient to justify action. The conditions required to obtain such 'proof' are discussed and examples given: namely, cigarette smoking and lung cancer, adulterated oil and the Spanish Toxic Oil Syndrome, and (conversely) alcohol and the prevention of vascular disease.

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First published: 28 April 2003

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