Re: ?Ecological Fallacy

["David Scherer" <DAVID@speedy.ehs.uiuc.edu>]

> I suppose another example of the ecologic fallacy is the relation between
> iodine and goiter.
> 
> We all know that living in an area with a lack of iodine in soil (majority of
> a group has this characteristic) causes an greater incidence of goiter ( a
> health state common to the group). 
>
This situation makes one suspicious, but the cause of goiter is 
_proven_ only by examining _individual_ iodine intake and diagnosed 
goiter.  Are we health physicists so arrogant that we think that our 
snap judgements about epidemiologic techniques are more valid than 
those who have examined the techniques for years?

David Scherer
scherer@uiuc.edu