title: [The placebo problem].
abstract: Holding placebo response to be a result of magical happenstance and doctor-patient relationship appears less than satisfying. The important factor of spontaneous development in illness, as "visually" demonstrated by Siemens in 1939, is pointed out. The controlled trial is considered analogous to this method. The conditions for carrying out a controlled trial and the control substances are discussed, the deciding criteria for carrying out a placebo-controlled trial are mentioned. The analysis of a placebo-controlled trial is not detrimental to the patient.
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010919:Placebos; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos
vernacular_title: Das Problem Placebo.