WHERE knowledge fails, controversies thrive. Often strong words buttress weak facts, while fervor preempts proof. This is unlikely to abate soon, so that controversies will long enliven our quest for knowledge.
Sixteen years of controversies in the ARCHIVES illustrate the point. Some controversies have been superseded (eg, brain biopsy in suspected cases of herpes simplex encephalitis); some have been settled, such as the use of magnesium sulfate in eclampsia; and some have been restated at a higher level of knowledge (eg, the indications for carotid endarterectomy in asymptomatic patients).