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are published under the auspices of
the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
© 2011 by Dr. H. Gilbert Welch
All rights reserved
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This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the uncoated paper ANSI/NISO specifications for permanence as revised in 1992.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Welch, H. Gilbert.
Overdiagnosed : making people sick in the pursuit of health / H. Gilbert Welch, Lisa Schwartz, Steven Woloshin.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
EPUB ISBN 978-0-8070-2201-6
ISBN 978-0-8070-2200-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Diagnostic errors. 2. Medical misconceptions. 3. Medical screening. I. Schwartz, Lisa. II. Woloshin, Steven. III. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures—ethics. 2. Early Diagnosis. 3. Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures—utilization. 4. Early Detection of Cancer— ethics. 5. Early Detection of Cancer—utilization. 6. Health Policy. WB 60]
RC71.3.W45 2011
616.07'54—dc22 2010037078
Many names and identifying characteristics of people mentioned in this work have been changed to protect their identities.