Day 256 - 04 Jun 96 - Page 41


     
     1        A.  You are right.  I am not a physician, and I have not
     2        treated such patients, but, from my understanding of the
     3        literature from my peers with whom I work in the field,
     4        I am not impressed with that idea.  But, as I say, that is
     5        secondary information from me reading the literature.
     6
     7   Q.   What is the condition (if I may call it that) of the
     8        science of diagnosis, early diagnosis of cancers, in the
     9        Peoples Republic of China?  How good are they at early
    10        diagnosis?
    11        A.  I really cannot answer that question, I think.
    12
    13   Q.   But you see that the point that I am on, I expect?  There
    14        may be a difficulty about using mortality rates in Peoples
    15        Republic of China in 1973 to 1975 for diseases that may
    16        have started a long time before that, and then try to
    17        compare those rates with, for example, an advanced country
    18        like the United States of America?
    19        A.  No.  I think they are really comparable, and they are
    20        comparable in this sense: the rates, both in the West and
    21        in China are age standardised, so we take into
    22        consideration -- we make the correction for the age of
    23        onset or age of obvious appearance of the cancer or age of
    24        death of the cancer, if you will; and so we are basically
    25        comparing people of the same ages, over the entire period
    26        from ages 35 to 60, 65.
    27
    28        So, no, the point to your question regarding early
    29        diagnosis, late diagnosis, quality of care and cure, those
    30        possible contributions to the mortality rates are
    31        absolutely minimal, if any, because we have in fact
    32        instituted correction procedures.
    33
    34   Q.   Can I ask you one other thing about, I do not know whether
    35        you call it a protocol or what, for this study.  Your
    36        immediate food or dietary data were obtained in two ways,
    37        am I right: by a three-day survey of a selected number of
    38        households, or all the households?
    39        A.  I said a random sample.
    40
    41   Q.   A sample, I thought it was that; a random sample, over
    42        three days, of what they ate and in what amounts?
    43        A.  Right.
    44
    45   Q.   By weight?
    46        A.  Right.
    47
    48   Q.   Otherwise, the data were compiled in the usual way, by
    49        questionnaire?
    50        A.  Right. 
    51 
    52   Q.   I do not know, because I have not had time to look, do we 
    53        find facsimiles of the questionnaire in your big China
    54        project book?
    55        A.  Sorry, I should know this, but I think we do.  Let me
    56        take a look.  I think we stuck it in the back of the book
    57        here; I am not really sure.  If we do not -- yes, it is.
    58        I am sorry.  It is here.
    59
    60   Q.   It is here?

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