The Rise of Modern Biomedical Research

The Rise of Modern Biomedical Research
Most research done before the twentieth century was more anecdotal than systematic, consisting of description of patients or pathological findings.

James Lind, a Royal Navy surgeon carried out the first recorded clinical trial in 1747.

In looking for a cure for scurvy, he fed sailors afflicted with scurvy six different treatments and determined that a factor in lines and oranges (subsequently found to be vitamin c) cured the disease while other foods did not.

His study was not blinded, but as a result (although not for 40 years) limes were stacked on all ships of the Royal Navy and scurvy among sailors (limeys) became a problem of past.

Research studies of physiology and other basic science research topics began to appear in large numbers in the nineteenth century.

By the start of the twentieth century, medicine had move from the empirical observation of cases to the scientific application of basic science to determine the best therapies and catalog diagnoses.

Although there were some epidemiological studies hat looked at populations, it was uncommon to have any kind of longitudinal study of large group of patients.

There was a 200 year gap from Lind’s studies before the controlled-clinical-trial became standard study for medical innovations. It was only in the 1950s that the randomized-clinical-trial became the standard for excellent research.
The Rise of Modern Biomedical Research