18949

With reference to the opinion that hemophiliacs might have expected to feel better and been less likely to treat themselves for internal bleeding following a form of gene therapy, I can only object to the suggestion that hemophiliacs can feel-better themselves out of an internal bleed. As a mother and grandmother of hemophiliacs who coped admirably with their situation and led near-normal lives, I can attest to the fact that bleeds, which manifest themselves in swelling and pain, don’t respond to positive thinking. I do not dispute the fact that a placebo group in the cited study would have been of value. Nevertheless, I find this statement cavalier in the extreme. Shirley T. McDonald
Aliso Viejo, Calif.