Dr. Chen's Double-Blind Prayer Study

Dr. Gwendolyn Chen presents results from her double-blind placebo-controlled study during a tense Roosevelt Room meeting. The data claims prayed-for patients suffer 11% fewer heart attacks and strokes. Toby, Josh, Will, and Jimmy scrutinize the findings as Hoebuck demands $115,000 in NIH funding for a follow-up, turning the document into a pivotal bargaining chip that tests the administration's principles.

2 appearances

Purpose

Tests efficacy of remote intercessory prayer on cardiac outcomes

Significance

Drives Senator Hoebuck's vote demand, forcing White House staff to weigh scientific claims against political credibility and faith-based funding

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Counting Votes, Buying Prayers

Dr. Chen's double-blind prayer study report is used to justify Hoebuck's request: she cites an 11% reduction in cardiac events among prayed-for patients, granting empirical texture to what would otherwise be a faith-based ask.

Before: Completed as a study at Duke Medical Center and presented by Dr. Chen as preliminary evidence.

After: Cited in Toby's office as the scientific basis for seeking NIH funding; its credibility (or lack thereof) becomes politically consequential.

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S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Prayer for a Vote — Hoebuck's Price

Dr. Chen's double‑blind placebo‑controlled study functions as the evidence Hoebuck uses to justify the funding request. Its reported 11% reduction in cardiac events is the linchpin that reframes an otherwise absurd appropriation as a defensible scientific inquiry.

Before: Complete as a single‑study result presented by Dr. Chen, positioned as preliminary but methodologically rigorous.

After: Converted from a clinical finding into a political bargaining chip and citation used to press for NIH funding.

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