摘要：

Dr. Burke et als aspirin therapy of diarrhea raises several issues particularly the methodological aspect. The difference in stool volume between the aspirin and placebo groups is small (99 ml/day) but the difference between aspirin and untreated groups is not statistically significant suggesting that the placebo might have aggravated diarrhea. The small difference between the stool volumes might be due to the aspirins small glucose-like effect which make the aspirin-containing solution more absorbable than in the control group rather than to any antagonism of enterotoxin effects. A slight osmotic aggravation of diarrhea may have been caused by the placebo and this could have led to the erroneous conclusion that aspirin was reducing diarrhea by anti-enterotoxic action. Other criticisms of Dr. Burkes study concern: 1) inconsistencies in the use of weight gain as the covariate in the ANOVA analysis; 2) inadequate data on degeee of admission dehydration and 3) derivation of the distribution 20 31 31. The statement that aspirin could be a substitute in areas where intravenous fluids are scarce is unjustified.

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