The essay by Sharma and Minhas1 reminded me of another essay by Michael Baum2 in which he emphasized the mutual dependence of empiricizm and rationalizm, and their reinforcing effect on each other, in the progress of medicine through research. Some thirty years later, the need for a synergy between explanatory models (rationalizm) and RCT (empiricizm) is felt equally strongly.
Footnotes
Competing Interests
None declared
References
1.
SharmaV, MinhasR. Explanatory models are needed to integrate RCT and observational data with the patient's unique biology. J R Soc Med2012;105:11–24
2.
BaumM. Scientific empiricism and clinical medicine: a discussion paper. J R Soc Med1981;74:504–9
