Illusion in medicine: the case for the Elliott Wave Principle.

A review of infectious diseases and other conditions, as reported over a period of months to many years, shows that our attempt to forecast peaks and troughs of disease activity fails more often than not. A technique used to discern and count rising and falling waves of disease activity (also employed in stock markets and known there as the Elliott Wave Principle) provides a novel approach for better understanding of outbreaks of disease and the attitude of health professionals in response. Thirteen figures demonstrate the approach in action.