Show figures are valuable only when accurate statistics fes are like knives they can be used for good or evil observes dr thurman Thur naan B rice la in hygeia the commonest 13 sentence heard beard in deba debate tesi usually begins statistics prove that but doctor rice warns that thai statistics prove nothing except when they have been accurately collected compiled interpreted Interpret od and applied lo in the hands bands of some devotee of a faddish project a given set of figures may prove or disprove anything when ore one hears a speaker quote fig ures from memory or without giving the source of his information it Is little lime to go home says doctor rice it Is easy to forget whether a certain death rate was as 14 per thousand or 14 per hundred thousand the unscientific min man uses figures to prove what he started out to prove while the scientist uses theta them to lead him to the truth |