Data Science Decoded - "Application of the Logistic Function to Bio-Assays" (1944), Berkson Joseph

 "Application of the Logistic Function to Bio-Assays" (1944), Berkson Joseph

 

The logistic function has its roots in the early 19th century, introduced by Belgian mathematician Pierre François Verhulst in 1838.

 

It gained further prominence in the 20th century through applications in various fields, including biology and bio-assay. Joseph Berkson's 1944 paper, 'Application of the Logistic Function to Bio-Assay,' was pivotal in popularizing its use for estimating drug potency. Berkson argued that the logistic function was a more statistically manageable and theoretically sound alternative to the probit function, which assumed that individual susceptibilities to a drug follow a normal distribution.

 

The logistic function's ability to be easily linearized via the logit transformation simplifies parameter estimation, making it an attractive choice for analyzing dose-response data.