Thanks to all who responded.
Andrew Lang was coming out the winner but with no clear reference.
Just received the following which probably clinches it
From a dictionary of statistics quotations ("Statistically Speaking",
ed. CG Gaither & AE Cavazos-Gaither), the source is Andrew Lang "quoted in
Evan Esar's 'The Dictionary of Humerous Quotations'". The exact quote
given here is
He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts - for support rather
than illumination.
Thanks to Richard Stevens for that
Adrian
Adrian Lambourne
Head of Health Information
Hertfordshire Health Informatics Service (HHIS)
Tel 01707 361 221
-----Original Message-----
From: Lambourne Adrian (5GK) HIS-HERTS
Sent: 06 December 2002 12:59
To: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: Just for fun
On a similar subject, does anyone know the origin of the expression
"Statistics are like a lamp-post to a drunken man - more for leaning on than
illumination"
Adrian
Adrian Lambourne
Head of Health Information
Hertfordshire Health Informatics Service (HHIS)
Tel 01707 361 221
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 06 December 2002 12:30
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Just for fun
One of my students assures me that the interquartile range is "often
used as a measure of depression".
Martin
***************************************************
Martin Bland
Prof. of Medical Statistics
St. George's Hospital Medical School
London SW17 0RE
[log in to unmask]
http://www.mbland.sghms.ac.uk/
***************************************************
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