wholly to their study, the Pro- gram in Placebo Studies and the Thera- peutic Encounter. It is based at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Kaptchuk was named its director. He has already recruited leading researchers from around the world, in disciplines as diverse as neuroanatomy and semiotics.

e most common reasons that people seek medical care. Effective long-term thera- pharmacological way of handling illness— pies have proved elusive. In Kaptchuk's that there is a pill for every disease. study, eighty patients were randomly di- "The entire idea of a placebo is very vided into two groups. Patie