Comment on

• Short- and long-term association between uric acid and a natural disaster. [Psychosom Med. 1997]
• Posttraumatic stress symptoms, intrusive thoughts, loss, and immune function after Hurricane Andrew. [Psychosom Med. 1997]
• Shaking up immunity: psychological and immunologic changes after a natural disaster. [Psychosom Med. 1997]

Abstract

In 1990 and 1991, 697 000 men and women of the US armed forces served in the Persian Gulf. During their service these veterans were exposed to a wide array of known and potential hazards to health.

Careful assessment of purported scientific discoveries and the resulting interpretations is a responsibility of every scientist. The area of memory, particularly memory for abuse, has recently seen new, highly publicized claims. These include the proposal of a new diagnostic category, the false memory syndrome; claims about the ease with which extensive autobiographical memories can be implanted; and estimates of the extent therapists use risky practices likely to cause false memory syndrome. This article suggests questions to evaluate these claims and the methods used to promote them.