News Reports of Medical Meetings: How Reliable Are Abstracts?

ON May 9th last, so said the press release, a "special briefing on the newest health research" was held in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. It was the day before the annual meetings of the three major clinical research societies (the American Federation for Clinical Research, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians), and their officers were trying a new scheme to enhance public appreciation of clinical investigation.A dozen carefully chosen investigators, whose latest unpublished work was scheduled for presentation during the scientific sessions of the next three days, were on . . .