INTRODUCTION
The field of radiation biology incorporates a spectra of diverse disciplines ranging from physics to biology resulting in more than its fair share of papers of dubious merit. This is due in large part to faulty designed bioassays with consequent acrimonious exchanges relevant to the validity and interpretation of the data.
VITUPERATION
Ellinger's laboratory ( Prof. F. Ellinger, head of Radiation Biology) at the Naval Medical Research Institute [NMRI] - had been subjected to some rather vigorous criticisms by a coterie of vocal radiation biologists who expressed astonishment at the "unbelievable high precision of the data" reported.
PROOF
Dr Ashikawa (Donner Laboratory of Biophysics and Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA.) visited Ellinger's laboratory and was introduced to his methodology and subsequently employed it in the following research: Ashikawa, J.K. and Anderson,O.K., Radiation Research {3) 99 -107 (1960).
"...Ellinger et al. (7) have shown the reproducibility of lethality in whole-body X-irradiation in the mid lethal range through strict adherence to certain physical and biological experimental precautions. A comparativeexperiment is presented to demonstrate the importance of such rigorous biological control".
RESULTS
(1) "Group A mice {Ellinger's procedure} in the mid lethal range (LD40 (30) to LD60 (30) was 49.7+ 7.7, compared to 45.8 + 37.2for the group B mice {conventional procedure}."
(2) "The mortality of the group A animals {Ellinger procedure} ranged from 40.0 to 61.1 , as compared to 0 to 100% for the group B animals {conventional procedure}."
COMMENTS
(1) The above explains in large measure the rancor exhibited by some radiation biologists with respect to the results obtained by Ellinger's group.
(2) The integrity of essays is an imperative for research - frequently elaborate statistics serves as camouflage for less than well planned and executed experiments.
