James Lind Library
@jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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Illustrating the development of fair tests of treatments in health care through history.
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Welcome to the James Lind Library, illustrating the development of fair tests of treatments through history. We have more than 1200 primary historical Records, 280 Articles, and multilingual Essays, along with podcasts, videos and quizzes. All content is free at
www.jameslindlibrary.org
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The James Lind Library - The James Lind Library
Thee James Lind Library uses material from history to illustrate the development of research methods for evaluating treatments.
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org
6 months ago
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On Halloween, I recommend reading Anthony' Petrosino's appreciation of statistician Fred Mosteller, including how Fred invoked
#Halloween
in providing comments on one of his draft articles 👇
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/cha...
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Charles Frederick [Fred] Mosteller (1916-2006). - The James Lind Library
It is easy to lie with statistics, but easier to lie without them. Frederick Mosteller Introduction Charles Frederick Mosteller, known affectionately by his colleagues and protégés as ‘Fred’, is the ....
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/charles-frederick-fred-mosteller-1916-2006/
10 days ago
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On
#WorldStrokeDay
(
www.world-stroke.org/world-stroke...
), learn about the disconnect between pre-clinical and clinical research and the role of CAMARADES in this article that Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga and Pandora Pound wrote for me 👇
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/the...
#EBM
#EBHC
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The role of systematic reviews in identifying the limitations of preclinical animal research, 2000 - 2022. - The James Lind Library
Introduction A thousand years ago, the Persian physician Ibn Sina issued a strong warning about the pitfalls of using animals to develop medicines for humans: ‘Experiments should be carried out ...
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/the-role-of-systematic-reviews-in-identifying-the-limitations-of-preclinical-animal-research-2000-2022/
12 days ago
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Remind yourself of the value of the randomised trial on
#WorldPolioDay
through a history of the Salk
#polio
vaccine trial, which showed the vaccine's benefits 50 years ago
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Read more by Harry Marks in my library
www.jameslindlibrary.org
www.who.int/europe/campa...
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Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1740774511399110
17 days ago
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Ahoy! If you would like to see some other articles that illustrate the recent history of individual participant data meta-analyses, click on this link
www.jameslindlibrary.org?s=individual
and scroll down through my records.
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26 days ago
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On
#WorldSightDay
learn about the development of fair tests of treatment though history in the late Bill Silverman's reflections on his 1950s randomised trial of using adrenocorticotropic hormone for retinopathy of prematurity 👇
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/per...
#LoveYourEyes
#RCT
#EBM
#EBHC
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Personal reflections on lessons learned from randomized trials involving newborn infants, 1951 to 1967. - The James Lind Library
About the author: Bill Silverman graduated from the University of California Medical School in 1942. He trained as an intern and resident in pediatrics at UC Hospital in San Francisco ...
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/personal-reflections-on-lessons-learned-from-randomized-trials-involving-newborn-infants-1951-to-1967/
about 1 month ago
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Ahoy! You can learn more about the history of systematic reviews and meta-analysis in the article that Mike Clarke wrote for me in 2015
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/his...
#EvidenceSynthesis
#EBM
#EBHC
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about 1 month ago
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Marking the sad news of Drummond Rennie's death, a tribute has been added here
www.jameslindlibrary.org/flanagin-a-g...
Also, Drummond and Iain Chalmers wrote about the dangers of medical reviews and textbooks that ignore scientific principles here
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/exp...
@jama.com
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Flanagin A, Godlee F, Goodman SN, Gunsalus CK, Ioannidis JPA, Knoll E (2025) - The James Lind Library
Tribute to Drummond Rennie and his contribution to tackling bias in health research.
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/flanagin-a-godlee-f-goodman-sn-gunsalus-ck-ioannidis-jpa-knoll-e-2025/
about 1 month ago
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about 1 month ago
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If you'd like to learn about the development of randomised trials in education through history, read my new article from Carole Torgerson about the first use of randomisation in educational research
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/whe...
#RCT
#FairTests
#EducationalResearch
#History
#Randomized
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When was randomisation first used in educational research? A brief historical methodological perspective - The James Lind Library
Introduction This brief note aims to add to the debate in the literature around the first use of randomisation in educational research, specifically in relation to previously published articles by ...
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/when-was-randomisation-first-used-in-educational-research-a-brief-historical-methodological-perspective/
about 2 months ago
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100 years ago today, the British Medical Journal published Moir's study of the narcotic effects of two hyoscines using alternation to form comparable groups. It's at
www.jameslindlibrary.org/moir-jc-1925
illustrating the development of fair tests of treatment through history
@bmj.com
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Moir JC (1925) - The James Lind Library
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/moir-jc-1925/
about 2 months ago
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Ahoy! If you'd like to watch an interview between Cindy and Iain Chalmers recorded about 30 years ago, it starts 1:38 into the video at
radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/items/...
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about 2 months ago
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Ahoy! You might also be interested in reading the piece Dave Sackett wrote for me about why he became a clinician trialist. It's available free here:
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/why...
#RandomizedTrials
#DaveSackett
#EBM
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2 months ago
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Read the new commentary that Christian Gluud and Kristian Thorlund wrote for me about Klim McPherson’s article on sequential analysis of trial data, which was published more than half a century (51 years) ago
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/lon...
#TSA
#TrialSequentialAnalysis
#RCT
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Long overdue recognition of Klim McPherson’s 1974 article on sequential analysis of trial data - The James Lind Library
Abstract In 1974, Klim McPherson published a two-page note in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled “Statistics: The problem of examining the data more than once”. Drawing on the ...
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/long-overdue-recognition-of-klim-mcphersons-1974-article-on-sequential-analysis-of-trial-data/
2 months ago
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On World Mosquito Day (
www.worldmosquitoprogram.org/world-mosqui...
), what better way to learn about clinical trials through history than reading the article Silvio Garattini wrote for me about early 20th century controlled trials to prevent malaria in Italy
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/ita...
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World Mosquito Day 2025|World Mosquito Program
Join us on World Mosquito Day, 20th August, to explore the history, impact, and innovative solutions in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases worldwide.
https://www.worldmosquitoprogram.org/world-mosquito-day
3 months ago
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Ahoy! With the publication of the new SPIRIT guidance on reporting protocols for randomised trials, read about the history of reporting guidelines in the article that Doug Altman and Iveta Simera wrote for me in 2015
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/a-h...
#SPIRIT
#RCT
@equatornetwork.bsky.social
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3 months ago
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Ahoy! 40 years since
#BackToTheFuture
, use the James Lind Library to learn about randomised trials through history, including 1985 trial from the
#WHO
testing coronary heart disease prevention in 50,000 men from 66 factories in Belgium, Italy, Poland & UK
www.jameslindlibrary.org/kornitzer-m-...
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4 months ago
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On
#International#PineappleDay
www.nationaldaycalendar.com/internationa...
have a look at my record for a
@jama.com
article from 99 years ago in which George Minot & William Murphy describe a diet (that included
#pineapple
) for treating pernicious anaemia
www.jameslindlibrary.org/minot-gr-mur...
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INTERNATIONAL PINEAPPLE DAY | June 27
INTERNATIONAL PINEAPPLE DAY June 27 is International Pineapple Day on the National Day Calendar and we want everyone to find a way to enjoy this refreshingly,
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/international/international-pineapple-day-june-27
5 months ago
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On
#Red4Research
Day, visit my website at
JamesLindLibrary.org
to learn about the development of fair tests of treatment through history
5 months ago
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1/3 On Friday 13th, here's some things you might like to read about the effects of chance in research....
#FridayThe13th
#FairTests
5 months ago
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Following the discovery of papers showing Churchill's concerns about the availability of
#penicillin
during WW2
www.bbc.com/news/article...
, read the article Ben Toth wrote for me about some of the research that showed the drug's remarkable benefits
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/pio...
#BBC
#WW2
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Winston Churchill's race to secure penicillin before D-Day found in notes
Handwritten notes show the wartime prime minister's frustration over slow penicillin production.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj09v52l8v4o
5 months ago
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On
#WorldBicycleDay
(
www.un.org/en/observanc...
), have a look at this trial from 50 years ago (yes, half a century!) that randomised participants to a control group or 20 weeks of running, walking or cycling for 30 minutes three times a week
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1152627/
#Exercise
#RCT
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World Bicycle Day | United Nations
The bicycle is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation.
https://www.un.org/en/observances/bicycle-day
5 months ago
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#TrialsTuesday
#9 In recent weeks, Trials Tuesday has highlighted some small, practice changing trials. In contrast, today’s trial is one that was described as “massive” by Keith Veronese in Making Medicine. It was called ISIS-2. 1/8
6 months ago
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Ahoy! Congratulations to DAMOCLES on its 20th anniversary. Peter Armitage reflected on earlier years of data monitoring committees in his interview with Iain Chalmers:
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/the...
Another example of seeing the development of fair tests of treatment through history
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6 months ago
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#TrialsTuesday
#8 1/8 On
#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay
2025, we feature STAMPEDE, a trial that started in 2005 and announced its first practice changing results 10 years ago today, to the American Society of Oncology
ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/...
@ascocancer.bsky.social
@mrcctu.bsky.social
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Docetaxel and/or zoledronic acid for hormone-naïve prostate cancer: First overall survival results from STAMPEDE (NCT00268476).
5001 Background: STAMPEDE is a randomised controlled trial using a novel multi-arm multi-stage design. It recruits men (pts) with high-risk locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) start...
https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/jco.2015.33.15_suppl.5001
6 months ago
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Welcome to the James Lind Library, illustrating the development of fair tests of treatments through history. We have more than 1200 primary historical Records, 280 Articles, and multilingual Essays, along with podcasts, videos and quizzes. All content is free at
www.jameslindlibrary.org
loading . . .
The James Lind Library - The James Lind Library
Thee James Lind Library uses material from history to illustrate the development of research methods for evaluating treatments.
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org
6 months ago
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On International Clinical Trials Day, you can learn more about me and what I achieved in the article that was written by Iain Milne
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/who...
#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay
#BePartOfResearch
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Who was James Lind, and what exactly did he achieve? - The James Lind Library
Who was James Lind? Visitors to the Edinburgh University quadrangle in Teviot Place, which used to house the Medical School, are unlikely to miss the large plaque put up in ...
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/who-was-james-lind-and-what-exactly-did-he-achieve/
6 months ago
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#TrialsTuesday
#7. Today, I’ll take you more than 100 years further back in time than my trial of scurvy. I’ll share with you a proposal for a study that highlighted the need for fair tests when a common treatment might do more harm than good
#FairTest
#TestingTreatments
1/8
6 months ago
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May 13 2025: 10th anniversary of death of Dave Sackett. Read extended questions & answers he prepared shortly before his death to describe his multiple careers, importance of fair tests and evidence-based medicine
www.jameslindlibrary.org/sackett-dl-2...
@cebmoxford.bsky.social
#EBM
#EBHC
#Cochrane
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Sackett DL (2015) - The James Lind Library
Extended questions and answers prepared by Dave Sackett shortly before his death in 2015, edited by Brian Haynes.
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/sackett-dl-2015/
6 months ago
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Ahoy! Read more about the benefits of trial registration in my article by Kay Dickersin and Iain Chalmers, including their discussion of John Simes' 1986 call for an international registry of clinical trials
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/rec...
Simes 1986:
www.jameslindlibrary.org/simes-rj-1986/
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6 months ago
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#TrialsTuesday
#6 Harry Gold, featured in the last
#TrialsTuesday
for his work on double blind trials of angina. Another important trial for this condition tested a surgical procedure, internal mammary artery ligation, by comparing it to “sham surgery” 1/8
6 months ago
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On
#WorldMalariaDay
visit my website to learn about the use of fair tests to identify effective treatments through history, including a recent article discussing artemisinin (Qinghaosu) as part of the history of trials in
#China
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/the...
www.who.int/campaigns/wo...
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The History of Controlled Clinical Trials in China. - The James Lind Library
Abstract The advent of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in mainland China remains largely unexplored. We offer here what we hope is a useful starting-point. We begin with a brief account ...
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/the-history-of-controlled-clinical-trials-in-china/
7 months ago
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Ahoy! Want to learn more about blinded outcome assessment through history? Read my essay at
www.jameslindlibrary.org/essays-essay...
#DoubleBlind
#EBHC
#EBM
#RCT
#FairTests
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7 months ago
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#TrialsTuesday
#5. Gold featured as an ineffective treatment for tuberculosis in the last TrialsTuesday. This week, I feature a person who shares the name of the element - Harry Gold – and the history of the "double blind" trial 1/8
#DoubleBlind
7 months ago
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Ahoy! If you want to get on board with some other articles about spin, I have some relevant records at
www.jameslindlibrary.org?s=spin
#Spin
#Bias
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7 months ago
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#TrialsTuesday
#4 Last week’s TrialsTuesday was the MRC trial of streptomycin for TB which used random numbers to fill envelopes that, when opened, revealed a patient’s assigned treatment. But, what about using a more familiar method for using chance to choose between options: flipping a coin? 1/8
7 months ago
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On World Parkinson's Day, you can read my article about the use of placebos in surgical trials, including those for people with Parkinson’s disease
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/use...
worldparkinsonsday.com
@parkinsonseurope.bsky.social
#WorldParkinsonsDay
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The use of placebos in controlled trials of surgical interventions: a brief history. - The James Lind Library
Introduction Inferences about the effects of treatments, including surgical treatments, rely on making comparisons. These comparisons may be with patient’s symptoms before a treatment has been applied...
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/use-placebos-controlled-trials-surgical-interventions-brief-history/
7 months ago
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TrialsTuesday #3 Last
#TrialsTuesday
, I featured the
#MRC
1994 trial showing that patulin was not effective for treating the common cold. Today, it’s a more famous MRC trial from the same decade: streptomycin for pulmonary tuberculosis, published in the BMJ on 30 October 1948 1/8
@bmj.com
7 months ago
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#TrialsTuesday
#2 Last week, I reminded you of my trial of oranges and lemons for scurvy. This week it’s apples, or more precisely a substance from a mould that grows on apples, and testing it as a treatment for the common cold. It’s the Medical Research Council’s 1944 trial of patulin 1/8
7 months ago
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1/2 I'm delighted to learn from the
#BBC
that the pioneering Dame Louise McIlroy, first female professor of medicine in Britain and Ireland is to be honoured in her home town in County Antrim
www.bbc.com/news/article...
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Ballycastle: Dame Louise McIlroy to be honoured with blue plaque
Dame Louise McIlroy achieved a number of firsts in medicine and also defied officials to serve in World War One.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgde9577d2o
8 months ago
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Learn more about the history of ISIS-2 in the article
#RichardPeto
wrote for me about his reflections on the design and analysis of clinical trials and meta-analyses in the 1970s and 1980s
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/ref...
#RCT
#EBHC
#EBM
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8 months ago
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#TrialsTuesday
#1 Starting today, every Tuesday here in Bluesky, I’ll tell you about an important clinical trial. Where better to begin than with my own study of treatments for scurvy on board the gun ship, Salisbury 1/8
8 months ago
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If you would like to learn about the history of the RECOVERY trial, read the article that Paul Glasziou and Kao Tikkinen wrote for me
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/the...
@paulglasziou.bsky.social
#EBM
#COVID-19
#RECOVERY
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8 months ago
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Ahoy!If you'd like to read more from Dave Sackett, try the article he wrote for me in 2015 about why he became a clinical trialist
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/why...
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8 months ago
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I agree Jaribio. Anyone wanting to learn about randomised trials through history can access ship loads of information at
www.jameslindlibrary.org
#RCT
#JamesLind
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8 months ago
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On this, the 51st anniversary of its publication, I am pleased to point you to my record for Klim McPherson's 1974 comments about the problem of examining a clinical trial's accumulating data more than once
www.jameslindlibrary.org/mcpherson-k-...
#RCT
#TrialSequentialAnalysis
#EBM
#EBHC
#Statistics
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McPherson K (1974) - The James Lind Library
Commentary from 1974 on the interpretation of “statistical significance” when multiple analyses are done of accumulating data in a clinical trial.
https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/mcpherson-k-1974/
8 months ago
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Hail and well met! Changing ships mid voyage is always tricky. We are moving here from X, like everyone else. I was lucky to have three different ships in which to compare the effects of treatments for scurvy. I will be posting about the history of fair tests of treatments.
jameslindlibrary.org
10 months ago
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