Statistics for Medical Students

STATISTICS FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS. By Frederick J. Moore, Frank B. Kramer, and Robert G. Knowles. Philadelphia, The Blakiston Company, 1951. viii + 113 pp. The widespread need for more and improved techniques among medical investigators scarcely needs mentioning. This small book offers the essentials of commonly used statistical methods with a minimum of verbiage. The emphasis is placed on understanding the logical basis rather than the mere setting down of formulae and tests. The development is straightforward and economical; it is more rigorous than some elementary texts for biologists, but no effort is made to demonstrate the fundamental derivations. Most of the work deals with normal distributions, criteria for normalcy, and tests of significance. One chapter deals with non-normal distributions, and there is a short discussion of design of experiments and presentation of results. The book is valuable for one who wants some insight into the underlying philosophy of statistics, its possibilities and limitations. The investigator who wants ready-made formulae and tables for rote use will find this presentation too general. W. P. MCN.