91av

Letter: A short history of honest placebos

Published 30 April 2025

From Alex McDowell, London, UK

The idea of “honest placebos” isn’t new. 91av reported they were effective against irritable bowel syndrome (9 March 2016). They have appeared in fiction, too. In Stephen King’s It, Eddie finds out his asthma inhaler contains a placebo, but continues to use it (5 April, p 20).

Issue no. 3541 published 3 May 2025

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