A placebo is a chemically inert substance prescribed more for the mental relief of a patient than for its effect on the patient’s physical disorder. It is prescribed in the hope of instilling in the patient a positive attitude toward prospects for his or her recovery. In some cases, the placebo actually produces improvement in the patient’s condition. In discussing the use and effect of placebos, a well-known medical researcher recently paid physicians the somewhat offbeat compliment of saying that physicians were the ultimate placebo.
By comparing a physician to a placebo, the researcher sought to imply that
A．physicians should always maintain and communicate an optimistic attitude toward their patients, regardless of the prognosis.
B．the health of some patients can improve simply form their knowledge that they are under a physician’s care.
C．many patients actually suffer from imagined illnesses that are best treated by placebos.
D．physicians could prescribe less medication and achieve the same effect.
E．(E) it is difficult to determine what, if any, effect a physician’s behavior has on a patient’s condition.
