john,
i was referring only to the medicare statistics, didn't read it thoroughly enough to see if any conclusions were drawn, not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. i fully appreciate the use of statistics but i also realize that you have to know the limitations of a study before you draw conclusions, especially when presenting them to laypersons.
and yes, i've heard of computers.

obvious clusters don't need major statistical studies , doctors would notice them, families would notice them, communities would notice them, professions would notice them. you see that with areas impacted by environmental pollution. and i imagine the cause and affect with those bus drivers didn't require a major statistical study.

i live in washington state which has the highest incidence of MS in the country, of course i want to know what's causing it as a person and as a taxpayer. and only statistics will find a disease influenced by multiple genes. just yesterday a correlation between autism and auto exhaust was reported, the closer you lived to a highway, the greater your chance of gettng autism. only a major study would have determined that.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...aust-new-study