Mailing List Archive

Mailing List: techdiver

Message Display

Date: Sat, 6 Jul 1996 08:49:09 -1000 (HST)
From: Richard Pyle <deepreef@bi*.bi*.Ha*.Or*>
To: Tom Mount <TOM.MOUNT@po*.wo*.at*.ne*>
Cc: Andrew Cohen <Andrew_Cohen@cc*.ss*.nm*.go*>, techdiver@terra.net
Subject: Re: DCS, body mass and nitrogen dosing


> Evidently the overweight instructor has not stayed current in theory on the
> probability of women vs men and getting bent. 
> 
> I would dare say that the instructor would have a high tendency towards
> getting bent on a lot of the dives we do whereas a fit lady would breeze
> through the dive profiles smooth as silk
> 
> just proves that for some a little knowledge is worse than no knowledge (the
> instructor)


In fairness to the instructor, the conversation took place ten years ago. 
I have no idea what the present theories are (O.K., I have some idea, but
that's beside the point) - my point for bringing up the story was to show
how statistics (which apply to populations) can be grossly misused if 
extrapolated  (interpolated?) to individuals. Even if it was true that 
women, on average, have more body fat, and even if it was true that this 
is the reason they are more likely to get bent, the instructor missed the 
boat when he attempted to suggest that my wife (an individual with low 
body fat) was more likely to get bent than him (an individual with high 
body fat).

Also in defense of the intructor, he did realize the error of his ways 
shortly after he made the statement to my wife.

Aloha,
Rich

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]