Squaring up

So how has he done our ‘square’? Have I persuaded you that there is more to his work than simply copying figures and pasting them into a book? Are you convinced that the calculation of chances and consequences and the comprehension of contingencies are crucial to science and indeed all rational human activity? Do you now know that the figure who figures, who does all this, is the statistician?

Perhaps I have overstated the case. Statistical reasoning is a vital part of scientific activity, of that I am convinced, but statistics is no closed shop. If it is much more than simply counting and averaging, that does not mean that only statisticians are capable of doing it. In fact many with labels other than ‘statistician’ are busy with probability and data. Later in this chapter we shall consider some examples but first I am going to take my last chance to show you how important statistics is, whoever does it. We shall consider a recent controversy to show exactly how many of the topics we have covered in this book would be needed to resolve it.

Spots of bother

In the spring of 2002, the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine was continuing to make headlines in the United Kingdom.