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A Note to Our Readers | |
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A Tribute to Victor Cohn | |
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Foreword | |
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Condensed from the Foreword to the 1989 Edition | |
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Acknowledgments | |
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Where We Can Do Better | |
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The Challenge | |
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Four Areas for Improvement | |
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The Certainty of Uncertainty | |
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The Scientific Method | |
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Focusing on Medicine | |
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Testing the Evidence | |
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How to Search for the Truth | |
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How Probable Is It? | |
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Expect Some Unexpected Events | |
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Appreciate the "Power" of Big Numbers | |
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Eliminate Bias; Consider Alternate Explanations | |
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Expect Variability | |
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Putting a Human Face on Variability | |
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What's a Good Study? | |
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Experiments versus Seductive Anecdotes | |
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Clinical Researchers at Work | |
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Clinical Studies: How to Judge Them | |
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Alternative Medicine | |
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"Disease Detectives" at Work | |
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Disease Outbreaks: What to Watch For | |
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Questions You Can Ask | |
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The Bottom Line | |
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Tests and Testing: Measuring What Works | |
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Patients' Tests | |
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Drugs and Drug Trials | |
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Animals as Stand-Ins for Us | |
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Vital Statistics: Measuring Life and Health | |
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The Key Role of Rates in Vital Statistics | |
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Key Rates of Death and Disease | |
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Crude Rates versus Rates That Compare | |
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Putting Numbers on Risks | |
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Two Cautions | |
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Cancer Statistics | |
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Shifts, Drifts, and Blips | |
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Health Plans and Hospitals: Measuring Their Quality | |
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Health Plans and Managed Care | |
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Hospital Care Statistics | |
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Our Environment and Measuring All Risks | |
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Start with Some Key Questions | |
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Evaluate What You've Learned | |
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Know the Limits of Science | |
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Questions to Evaluate Hazards | |
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Questions to Evaluate Studies | |
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Special Statistical Situations | |
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Tips for Reporting Risks | |
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Polls: Measuring What We Think | |
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Polling with Care | |
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Case Histories: Ventura, Reagan, and Bush | |
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Other Poll-Watching Advice | |
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Another Case History: Asking about Sex | |
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Potential Perils of "Snowball Samples" | |
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What Focus Groups Can and Can't Do | |
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Politics, Your Pocketbook, and Plenty More | |
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Statistical Shenanigans | |
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Newsy Numbers on Numerous Fronts | |
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This Book's Bottom Line | |
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Quick-Reference Guides | |
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Working the Web | |
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Reporting a Disease Outbreak | |
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Checklists for Studies and Polls | |
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What Makes a Good Reporter? | |
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Notes | |
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Glossary | |
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Bibliography | |
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Index | |