In reply: In his letter, Gøtzsche is clearly under the misapprehension that, in using the figure of speech "gives the lie to", I am accusing him of lying. Nothing could be further from the truth. As he quotes, I applied that phrase to his conclusions. In my Australian Oxford Dictionary1 to "give the lie to" can mean — and it is this meaning that I was applying — "serve to show the falsity of a supposition".
- 1. The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary. 3rd ed. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1999.
- 2. Gough IR. Screening mammography and mortality [letter]. Med J Aust 2002; 177: 333.
- 3. Rodger A. Is it worth screening women over 70 for breast cancer — or indeed any women? [editorial] Med J Aust 2002; 176: 247-248. <eMJA full text>
- 4. Olsen O, Gøtzsche PC. Screening for breast cancer with mammography (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2001. Oxford : Update Software.
- 5. Screening for breast cancer with mammography [letters]. Lancet 2001; 358: 2164-2168.
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I am Chair of the Board of BreastScreen Victoria, and a member of the editorial group of the Cochrane Breast Cancer Group.