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In Reply.
—Nothing improves therapeutic results more than the omission of controls. Pritchard's systematic approach and extensive experience are impressive, but is it because of or despite magnesium sulfate? He provides nothing for comparison.I agree that one does not need to understand the pathophysiology of eclampsia in order to treat it; however, one needs more than cumulative uncontrolled results in order to claim effectiveness for a drug.Pritchard's quotation of preliminary work on the use of magnesium sulfate in cerebral ischemia and seizures buttresses my conclusion that magnesium sulfate belongs in the laboratory, a clinical trial, or history.