The first mastectomy: truth or legend?

Truth or Urban Legend?

It has become widely accepted that correlations between variables measured with the same method, usually self-report surveys, are inflated due to the action of common method variance (CMV), despite a number of sources that suggest the problem is overstated. The author argues that the popular position suggesting CMV automatically affects variables measured with the same method is a distortion an...

Truth-bearers or Truth-makers?

Endocrine disruption: fact or urban legend?

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are substances that cause adverse health effects via endocrine-mediated mechanisms in an intact organism or its progeny or (sub) populations. Purported EDCs in personal care products include 4-MBC (UV filter) or parabens that showed oestrogenic activity in screening tests, although regulatory toxicity studies showed no adverse effects on reproductive endpoints. Hormon...

The golden hour: scientific fact or medical "urban legend"?

The term "golden hour" is commonly used to characterize the urgent need for the care of trauma patients. This term implies that morbidity and mortality are affected if care is not instituted within the first hour after injury. This concept justifies much of our current trauma system. However, definitive references are generally not provided when this concept is discussed. It remains unclear whe...

Mastectomy or conservation: the patient's choice.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine whether, if given the choice, patients with breast cancer would prefer mastectomy or conservation treatment, neither treatment having been shown to be preferable. DESIGN Non-randomised case series with 28 patients interviewed after two years and all followed up. SETTING Secondary care referral centre. PATIENTS 153 women, aged less than 65, with T1, T2, N1, and...