Dr. Henry K. Beecher: The Placebo Effect

Dr. Henry K. Beecher: The Placebo Effect

From Smart Tea by Aarati Asundi

May 20, 2026 · 54 min · Episode 59

About this episode

Aarati discusses the ethical implications of the placebo effect and its impact on clinical trials, inspired by Dr. Henry K. Beecher's observations.

Your mind can be a powerful drug, but when (if ever) is it ethical to choose mind over matter? Aarati tells the story of an army doctor who observed the placebo effect in soldiers and then went on to transform how we conduct clinical trials. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com.

People in this episode

Host: Aarati Asundi

Topics covered

  • placebo effect
  • clinical trials
  • ethics
  • medicine
  • psychology

Keywords

  • placebo effect
  • Dr. Henry K. Beecher
  • clinical trials
  • ethics
  • medicine
  • psychology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Smart Tea

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