William of Occam and Occam's Razor
Authors: Vincent Lo Re, Lisa M. Bellini
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Letters16 April 2002William of Occam and Occam's RazorVincent Lo Re III, MD and Lisa M. Bellini, MDVincent Lo Re III, MDHospital of the University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Re, Bellini) and Lisa M. Bellini, MDHospital of the University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Re, Bellini)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-136-8-200204160-00022 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Attributed to the 14th-century English philosopher and theologian William of Ockham (simplified to "Occam" by medieval spelling), Occam's razor is a logical device used by physicians to identify the single best cause of a patient's constellation of symptoms (1, 2). Most clinicians know very little about Occam and the origin of the principle that bears his name.William was born in 1285 in Ockham, England. As a youngster in the Franciscan order, he studied logic (3). Subsequently, he studied theology at Oxford University (3). He lectured on theological works, using his passion for logic to identify inconsistencies ...References1. Jeffrey WH, Berger JO. Ockham's razor and Bayesian analysis. American Scientist. 1992;80:64-72. Google Scholar2. Sapira JD. On violating Occam's razor. South Med J. 1991;84:766. [PMID: 2052969] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Wagner R. William of Ockham. The New Encyclopaedia Brittanica. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 1991;8:867. Google Scholar4. Wildner M. In memory of William of Occam [Letter]. Lancet. 1999;354:2172. [PMID: 10609859] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Drachman DA. Occam's razor, geriatric syndromes, and the dizzy patient [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2000;132:403-4. [PMID: 10691591] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Re, Bellini) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoOccam's Razor, Geriatric Syndromes, and the Dizzy Patient David A. Drachman Metrics Cited byLessons in clinical reasoning ‒ pitfalls, myths, and pearls: a case of confusion, disequilibrium, and "picking at the air"Letter to the Editor: Intravital Dynamic and Correlative Imaging Reveals Diffusion‐Dominated Canalicular and Flow‐Augmented Ductular Bile FluxClinicopathological Conference: A Deadly Cause of Seizures in a 67-Year-Old AlcoholicPelvic Floor Pain: Physical Therapy Versus InjectionsSystems biology beyond networks: Generating order from disorder through self-organizationFriederich Nietzsche and the seduction of Occam's razorThe top 10 infectious disease pitfalls that hospitalists can avoidAs sharp as Occam?Clinical Complexity and Occam's Razor: Navigating Between Scylla and Charibdy of the Geriatric Practice. A Case of Secondary Hypertension in a Very Old PatientHorner's Syndrome, Hoarseness, and Unsteady GaitNonsurgical Management of Osteoarthritis in DogsDiagnostic des fièvres prolongées inexpliquées : tactiques et stratégiesHow to prevent immunological reactions in leprosy patients and interrupt transmission of Mycobacterium leprae to healthy subjects: Two hypothesesWhen the whole-body scan shows no abnormalityDon't Get Cut on Occam's Razor!Magnetoencephalography and its Achilles' heel 16 April 2002Volume 136, Issue 8Page: 634-635 ePublished: 16 April 2002 Issue Published: 16 April 2002 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...