Chapter 03 of 5
Fake Surgery, Real Results
Trials where pretend operations worked as well as real ones.
- The Idea
Sham surgery
In a sham surgery trial, some patients receive a pretend operation — anaesthesia and small cuts, but not the real procedure.
- Why
Surgery needs testing too
Operations can seem obviously effective, but without a comparison it's hard to know how much benefit comes from the surgery itself.
- 1950s
A popular heart operation
In the 1950s, surgeons tied off arteries in the chest to treat chest pain from heart disease. Many patients reported feeling better.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
What did the 2002 knee arthritis trial find about keyhole surgery?
💊 The Power of Expectation
- 01Sugar Pills That WorkThe placebo effect — what it is, and what it can and can't do.
- 02The Nocebo EffectWhen expecting harm makes you feel worse.
- 03Fake Surgery, Real ResultsTrials where pretend operations worked as well as real ones.
- 04Honest PlacebosPlacebos that help even when patients know they're fake.
- 05What's Really HappeningSeparating real placebo effects from things that only look like them.