In this paper I argue—against van Fraassen’s constructive empiricism—that the practice of saving phenomena is much broader than usually thought, and includes unobservable phenomena as well as observable ones. My argument turns on the distinction between data and phenomena: I discuss how unobservable phenomena manifest themselves in data models and how theoretical models able to save them are ch...

The country will mark Canada Health Day on May 12, so CMAJ asked Dr. Michael Gordon to reflect on Canada's health care system and the changes it has seen and will see. The special day, cosponsored by the Canadian Public Health Association, is designed to highlight "the need for better communication between health professionals and the communities they serve." In this article, Gordon reflects on...

A total factor energy saving target ratio (ESTR) for seventeen APEC economies over 1991-2000 is computed in this paper. All nominal terms are transformed into real terms at the 1995 price level. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach is used to find the energy-saving target (EST) for APEC economies without reducing their maximum potential GDPs. Energy, labor, and capital are the three inp...

Diabetic foot ulceration is both preventable and treatable. The management of diabetic foot disease is best achieved through implementation of local protocols involving the primary care team, community care and the multidisciplinary diabetic team. It is important that the feet the assessed as part of the overall assessment of a diabetic patient at any clinical presentation. The initial manageme...