Statistics in Biological Research

Abstract

WITH the increasing application of statistical methods to new fields of work, the problem of the handling of small samples has become more and more important. It is true that the larger the sample the more trustworthy are the inferences which can be drawn from it, but there are certain problems, whether biological or industrial, in which the time and cost involved in obtaining even a moderately large sample would be quite prohibitive. This need for a development of small sample theory has emphasised the importance of placing the methods of inference on a clearly defined and logical basis. For loose thinking and careless interpretation are both easier and more dangerous when dealing with small than with large samples. The aim of the statistician must be to bring the simplifying assumptions of theoretical analysis into correspondence with the varied and complex situations of practical work.

Statistical Methods for Research Workers.

By Dr. R. A. Fisher. (Biological Monographs and Manuals, No. 5.) Second edition, revised and enlarged. Pp. xii + 269. (Edinburgh and London: Oliver and Boyd, 1928.) 15s. net.