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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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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · May 20
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
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.
www.jameslindlibrary.org
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
Ahoy! If you're interested in citation bias, there's more in this article in the James Lind Library
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/cit...
November 26, 2025 at 9:28 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
On World Pneumonia Day (stoppneumonia.org/latest/world...), learn about controlled trials through history by reading Scott Podolsky's article about trials of treatments for pneumonia in the 1920s 👇

www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/jes...

#WorldPneumoniaDay #Pneumonia #MedHist
Jesse Bullowa, specific treatment for pneumonia, and the development of the controlled clinical trial. - The James Lind Library
Introduction Jesse Bullowa’s 1928 report on the use of antipneumococcic serum in lobar pneumonia (Bullowa 1928a) was subtitled “Data necessary for a comparison between cases treated with serum and ...
www.jameslindlibrary.org
November 12, 2025 at 11:26 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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...
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 ....
www.jameslindlibrary.org
October 31, 2025 at 9:18 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
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 ...
www.jameslindlibrary.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
October 24, 2025 at 11:52 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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.
October 15, 2025 at 1:16 PM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
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 ...
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October 9, 2025 at 11:14 AM
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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
October 7, 2025 at 11:36 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
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.
www.jameslindlibrary.org
October 2, 2025 at 3:40 PM
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September 30, 2025 at 10:31 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
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 ...
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September 22, 2025 at 9:00 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
Moir JC (1925) - The James Lind Library
www.jameslindlibrary.org
September 19, 2025 at 8:43 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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/...
September 16, 2025 at 3:57 PM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
September 9, 2025 at 8:42 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
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 ...
www.jameslindlibrary.org
September 5, 2025 at 10:42 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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...
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.
www.worldmosquitoprogram.org
August 20, 2025 at 9:46 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
August 11, 2025 at 10:30 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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-...
July 8, 2025 at 11:04 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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...
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,
www.nationaldaycalendar.com
June 27, 2025 at 9:41 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
On #Red4Research Day, visit my website at JamesLindLibrary.org to learn about the development of fair tests of treatment through history
June 20, 2025 at 8:44 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
1/3 On Friday 13th, here's some things you might like to read about the effects of chance in research....
#FridayThe13th #FairTests
June 13, 2025 at 8:33 AM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
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.
www.bbc.com
June 6, 2025 at 3:30 PM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
World Bicycle Day | United Nations
The bicycle is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation.
www.un.org
June 3, 2025 at 3:57 PM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
#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
May 27, 2025 at 3:31 PM
jameslindlibrary.bsky.social
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
May 21, 2025 at 11:44 AM