On Ockham's Razor and Gulf Ills The analytic instrument we feel most comfortable wielding, journalistically, in exploring the cause of Gulf Syndrome is Ockham's Razor. It is named for, but apparently was not quite explicitly stated in the writings of English philosopher William of Ockham (circa 1300-1349). Also called the Principle of Parsimony, it states that: "Entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity." The meaning, as explained in philosophical dictionaries, is that the razor cuts away useless or gratuitous ideas in explaining a phenomenon. One should accept, rather, the simplest hypothesis that can explain the data. In the elucidation of diseases and their causes, the less that is known about an illness at the onset, the more possible causes it has. Think about all of the "causes" adduced fifteen years ago for AIDS! They include dope, sensation-enhancing drugs (po....

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