I found a quotation, in an Empirical writing from about the second century A.D. (which has been overlooked by all other researchers), which illustrates this idea. The physician wrote: "What is seen in all cases is less significant than what is seen in a few cases. And what is seen in a few cases is less significant than what is found in a single case."

Thus a fundamental difference in how we look at medicine was apparent by the scond century. Current industry pracitve is to (for beter or worse) throw away aberent test resuls and report only the best, hopfully on the right side of the 80/20 rule.

I found a quotation, in an Empirical writing from about the second century A.D. (which has been overlooked by all other researchers), which illustrates this idea. The physician wrote: "What is seen in all cases is less significant than what is seen in a few cases. And what is seen in a few cases is less significant than what is found in a single case."

http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1994/articles/1994-v09n03-p159.shtml

Empiricism vs. Rationalism in Medicine

Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D.