William James, faith, and the placebo effect.
Long considered a fact of medicine and of clinical investigation, the placebo effect has recently been challenged. The thought of the great American psychologist and philosopher William James, particularly his understanding of the practical value of faith, helps to illuminate the nature of the placebo effect and the implications of this puzzling phenomenon for understanding healing and the practice of medicine.
Miller
Franklin G
FG
Department of Clinical Bioethics, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 1C118, Bethesda, MD 20892-1156, USA. fmiller@nih.gov
D029221:Faith Healing / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D015990:Placebo Effect