Klarinet Archive - Posting 000616.txt from 1999/12

From: Don Longacre <nw2v@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: Cause for Concern
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 12:31:49 -0500

Dr Karius comments on:
>> Unsafe sax: cohort study of the impact of too much sax on the
>> mortality of famous jazz musicians
>> Sanjay Kinra and Mona Okasha
>> BMJ 1999;319 1612-1613
>> http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7225/1612

Since Michael brought this to our attention on the 18th along with
Reuters spin and inaccuracies about which facial orifice delivers
air into the mouthpiece, I too read the Kinra and Okasha report in
eBMJ. I agree with you entirely. Their hypothesis was flawed in
that the very subjective "lifestyle" factor was not applicable in
their statistical analyses. I believe they rather naively overlooked
the collective debilitating effects existing in the demi-world of
the jazz saxophonist, especially those whose careers brought them
into prominence. Without detailing it, I know of no statistical
treatment that could embrace the experiment design of Kinra and Okasha
for these "environmental" variables. Poor nutrition, drugs, alcohol
and a host of factors leading to short life span,in my opinion, over-
whelmed the trivial notion of circular breathing as a causal agent.
Basically, the Kinra and Okasha work was a statistical exercise. They
had no relating pathology or clinical support data. Frankly, I am
quite suprised the prestigious British Medical Journal would consider
this paper for publication. Customarily, peer review would have caught
this stuff early on. My email to eBMJ is published on their site at
< http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7225/1612> reviewing somewhat
more politely some of the points above. They were kind enough to do that
in the spirit of science.

Cordially,

Donald Longacre

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