The Perils of Prevention: A Cautionary Note

The truth of the aphorism has been officially certified that prevention is better than cure; it cannot be otherwise when an ounce of the former is worth a pound of the latter.

Abstract

Everyone knows that prevention is better than cure; it cannot be otherwise when an ounce of the former is worth a pound of the latter. Moreover, the truth of the aphorism has been officially certified by governments.1 , 2 He (or she) who would question revealed wisdom must be heretic indeed. In doing so, I add apostasy to heresy; I have written on prevention repeatedly (or is it repetitiously?).3 , 4 Yet the putative benefits of a "preventive approach" are now so universally acclaimed that it is more than time for an iconoclastic view to be heard.Proponents of prevention are fond of the . . .