AW: [ RadSafe ] Fwd: Which do people think is the 2nd place explanationfor Gulf War illness?

[Rainer.Facius at dlr.de]

"What is the most viable explanation of the increase of health abnormalities seen among troops and in Basra and Kuwait after the February, 1991 Gulf War?"

James,

your above formulation of what you perceive as the problem demonstrates conclusively that you have major difficulties to grasp the essence of the scientific process. My job as a (research) scientist is not to conjecture an explanation for some empirical observation and then strive to keep it alive but to do my very BEST to kill it. Only after I and the rest of the scientific community have failed to achieve this, I may consider - for the time being - my conjecture as a (i.e. ONE of - usually - many other) possibility. 

In short: The business of science is to REFUTE speculations (alias hypotheses). This, in a nutshell, is what according to Popper' falsification principle science can achieve - at most.

Regarding your preferred speculation (DU) 'explaining' Gulf War "health abnormalities", a recent high ranking publication has firmly laid your "explanation" to rest. See below and:

(i) radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl im Auftrag von Rainer.Facius at dlr.de; 
Do 13.03.2008 10:56; 
RE: [ RadSafe ] Etiology of the Gulf War syndrome 

and

(ii) radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl im Auftrag von neildm at id.doe.gov; 
Do 13.03.2008 16:49
RE: [ RadSafe ] Do these symptoms sound familiar?

Since due to elementary laws of (Aristotelian) logic, refutation is conclusive and definite, your favourite speculation can only be resurrected if NEW(!) empirical data should arise. Until then - please let it rest in peace.

Those interested in a copy of the paper are invited to ask for it.

Best regards, Rainer

Dr. Rainer Facius
German Aerospace Center
Institute of Aerospace Medicine
Linder Hoehe
51147 Koeln
GERMANY
Voice: +49 2203 601 3147 or 3150
FAX:   +49 2203 61970


Beatrice Alexandra Golomb

Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, 2093-0995
Communicated by Stephen F. Heinemann, Salk Institute for Biological Studies,
San Diego, CA, January 15, 2008 (received for review December 5, 2006)

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and Gulf War illnesses

Published online on March 10, 2008
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0711986105



________________________________

Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl im Auftrag von James Salsman
Gesendet: Di 27.05.2008 16:41
An: radsafelist
Betreff: [ RadSafe ] Fwd: Which do people think is the 2nd place explanationfor Gulf War illness?

What is the most viable explanation of the increase of health
abnormalities seen among troops and in Basra and Kuwait after the
February, 1991 Gulf War?

<...>

James Salsman