Rick, You are assuming that the aspirin or the antibiotic are always taken. If that were true there would be no one studying medication compliance behavior. As any health care practioner can tell you, giving a patient a prescription or even handing them the medication does not mean that they will actually ingest it. It is the reason why many physicians will give a patient a shot of penicillin rather than giving a prescription even if the pills would be more effective. Just as in the gun example, each individual makes a decision about whether or use the drug. Joyce Morris Public Health Sciences Wichita State University
