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XVIII. The clofibrate trials: Another dispute about contratrophic therapy
Author(s) -
Feinstein Alvan R.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt1972136953
Subject(s) - medicine , clinical trial , intensive care medicine , remedial education , psychology , mathematics education
In contratrophic therapy, the classical clinician and classical epidemiologist meet to engage in the new practice of prophylactic clinical medicine. The conventional treatment studied by clinicians is clinical and remedial. The patient is already sick, and the treatment is intended to remove or alter an existing target. An example of remedial treatment is the use of aspirin for headache. The conventional treatment studied by epidemiologists is non‐clinical and prophylactic. In such therapy, which can be called contrapathic , the patient is essentially well, and the treatment is intended to prevent the development of a target, usually a particular disease, that has not yet occurred. An example of contrapathic treatment is vaccination against poliomyelitis.