Problems in controlled trials--a critical response.

Responding to an article by R. Burkhardt and G. Kienle in the same issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics, Vere strongly disputes their criticisms of the controlled clinical trial. He maintains that the proper use of the statistical method in a randomized trial provides the 'best, most precise, and most conservative way' for a medical researcher to decide among alternative therapies, and that the individual patient benefits from participation in an experimental group. Burkhardt and Kienle defend their conclusions in a brief response to Vere's article, but he remains unconvinced in his own short reply to their comments.