Precise electrocardiographic measurements and clinical sense

Abstract

Practically, all aspects of our lives are subject to numerous rules, laws, and regulations that turn continuous scales into binary ‘YES/NO’ classifications. While driving in a residential street of London at 29 mph is perfectly legal, driving at 31 mph is a crime with possible consequences for the ‘perpetrator’. Everybody would agree that having a Highway Code restriction of this kind is necessary. However, it is obvious that the particular speed limit of 30 mph, derived from statistical observations, does not necessarily reflect the true risk of each situation. Driving one car under particular circumstances at 35 mph might easily be substantially safer than driving another car under different circumstances at 25 mph. Driving in a residential street very fast at, say 65 mph will always be dangerous while driving very slowly at, say, 10 mph, will be basically safe all the time irrespective of the conditions on the road (that is ignoring the possible traffic obstacle). However, as we get nearer and nearer to the speed limit of 30 mph from either side, the distinction between safe and dangerous driving becomes less and less clear. Also, for the Highway Code to be practical, the legal speed limit must be a round number. Indeed, the same statistical observations made on the Old Continent led to a speed limit of 50 km/h, which is equal to 31.2 mph. It would be naturally pointless to discuss whether the British or the Continental residential areas are more or less safe because of this difference. Statistical observations of the past are unlikely reproducible with this precision in the future. A sensible police officer has the obvious advantage over an automatic speed camera of understanding all this and thus making corresponding differentiations. He will not make much … *Corresponding author. Fax: +44 20 8660 6031, Email: marek.malik{at}btinternet.com