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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · 1h

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 ...

www.jameslindlibrary.org

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · 2d

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

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · 6d

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

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · 9d

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · 17d

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 ...

www.jameslindlibrary.org

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · 20d

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

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · 22d

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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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Sep 9

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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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Sep 9

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

Why did I become a clinician-trialist? - The James Lind Library

The seeds of iconoclasm In 1956 I went to the University of Illinois College of Medicine to be taught how to become a physician. Despite the College’s well-deserved reputation, a ...

www.jameslindlibrary.org

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Sep 5

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

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Aug 20

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

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Aug 18

Ahoy! Learn about the importance of randomisation through history in my library at www.jameslindlibrary.org. For example, read how the GISSI trials embedded patient and public health oriented randomised trials into the Italian health service 40 years ago
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/emb...

The James Lind Library - The James Lind Library

The James Lind Library uses material from history to illustrate the development of research methods for evaluating treatments.

www.jameslindlibrary.org

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Aug 11

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

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Jul 8

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-...

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Jun 27

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

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Jun 20

On #Red4Research Day, visit my website at JamesLindLibrary.org to learn about the development of fair tests of treatment through history

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Jun 13

3/3 The article Mike Clarke wrote for me about the series of DICE studies and the importance of Don't Ignore Chance Effects
www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/the...
#dice #chance

The true meaning of DICE: Don’t Ignore Chance Effects - The James Lind Library

Introduction Researchers often name their trials using an acronym. These include some from the past which might raise eyebrows now, such as ISIS (ISIS-2, 1998) and the many attempts to ...

www.jameslindlibrary.org

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Jun 13

2/3 The need to consider the risk of being misled by the play of chance as a key concept for #InformedHealthChoices
www.jameslindlibrary.org/essays-essay...

and the dangers that a combination of bias and chance will lead to misleading results
www.jameslindlibrary.org/essays-essay...

2.4 Descriptions of effects should reflect the risk of being misled by the play of chance - The James Lind Library

In this essay, we explain four considerations about the risk of being misled by the play of chance.

www.jameslindlibrary.org

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Jun 13

1/3 On Friday 13th, here's some things you might like to read about the effects of chance in research....
#FridayThe13th #FairTests

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Jun 6

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

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · Jun 3

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

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · May 27

8/8 If you’d like to learn more about the importance of ISIS-2, watch the start of Sir Richard Peto’s talk at Evidence Live 2015 www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYIP... or read what he wrote for me in 2016 www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/ref... #EvidenceLive #EBHC @cebmoxford.bsky.social

Richard Peto - Large-scale randomised evidence: how will it inform clinical practice?

YouTube video by CEBM Oxford

www.youtube.com

James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · May 27

7/8 Analyses, negotiated between authors and editors, include what Richard Horton, @thelancet.com‬ editor, called "the most entertaining example of inappropriate subgroup analysis": no benefit from aspirin for #Gemini & #Libra but clear benefit for other birth signs www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

From star signs to trial guidelines

The most entertaining example of inappropriate subgroup analysis is to be found in a 1988 Lancet paper.1 Within a complex table reporting subgroup analyses of the odds of vascular death after streptok...

www.thelancet.com

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · May 27

6/8 In the 5 weeks after randomisation, there were 804 (9.4%) vascular deaths among 8587 patients allocated aspirin but 1016 (11.8%) in 8600 allocated placebo. The odds of dying in the 5 weeks after their MI were reduced by about a quarter if patients were given 160mg aspirin a day for a month.

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James Lind Library @jameslindlibrary.bsky.social · May 27

5/8 They were randomised to aspirin, streptokinase, both or neither in what’s called a factorial trial, which will feature more in a future #TrialsTuesday. This meant that half the patients got aspirin and half did not.

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