AIDS and Absolutism — The Demand for Perfection in Prevention

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Abstract
Nothing in medicine, or in life for that matter, always works. This seemingly incontrovertible statement often appears to be forgotten where preventive measures are concerned. Because of its paramount importance, the epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has dramatized this situation. Recent exchanges about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the lay press and the scientific literature further fuel an issue that has long troubled us as preventionists — an apparent insistence that preventive techniques be perfectly effective. Several examples may be useful.The Use of CondomsA recent example of the all-or-none approach was an article in a national . . .