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The main thrust of this article is simply to present the results of an experiment that demonstrate the practical inconclusiveness of econometric testing of macroeconomic models. The brief discussion of the philosophical issues anticipates the reaction of some econometricians and economic practitioners who would dismiss the results of the experiment on the grounds that more sophisticated econometric techniques will ultimately eliminate the inconclusiveness of econometric tests of competing hypotheses. This article focuses on the use of econometric testing as a means of choosing among competing economic theories, and does not examine the use of econometrics as a tool for economic engineering. This article is meant to contribute to making economics a more genuinely progressive empirical science. This article differs from related efforts in that the authors are not explicitly considering the nature of probability distributions of economic time-series, nor are they addressing the effects of mathematical transformations of model specification on statistical fit to a given set of observations, nor do they make exhortations for personal integrity and institutional changes.

A world champion distance runner, age 77, was evaluated in various anthropometric, pulmonary, hematological, and cardiorespiratory measures. The subject held 14 recognized world records in track and distance running for competitors aged 74, 75, and 76 years and had 11 records pending for the 77-year-age category. He was the 1975 national AAU master's class IV-b champion in the 400, 800, 1500, 5000, and 15,000 meter races. The results of the physiological mesures taken exceeded those of a more sedentary population of comparable age, were similar to reported values for other master athletes, and approached the standards noted for much younger runners. The largest age-related decrements were observed in measures of maximal heart rate, maximal pulmonary ventilation, and maximal oxygen consumption. The general reduction in aerobic power was attributed to a combination of pulmonary, circulatory, and metabolic factors in addition to training considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With the establishment of the International Health Commission in 1913, the Rockefeller Foundation sought governmental partnerships overseas to combat hookworm disease and improve feces disposal practices. In the Madras Presidency in British India, the India Research Fund Association carried out hookworm surveys but failed in its educational efforts to improve feces disposal practices. In British Malaya, the Uncinariasis [Hookworm] Commission to the Orient discovered a syndemic of anemia among Tamil plantation laborers from the Madras Presidency and Chinese laborers from southern China who suffered from hookworm and malarial co-infections. Confronted with the apparent infeasibility of improving feces disposal practices and the obdurate fact of re-infection with hookworm after purgative treatment, the Rockefeller Foundation ended its hookworm initiative in British Malaya without advocating for programmatic intervention against syndemic anemia. The essay concludes with a reflection on the engagement of historians with the syndemic paradigm., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)