Control and the therapeutic trial; rhetoric and experimentation in Britain, 1918-48.9789042022737 Control and the therapeutic trial; rhetoric and experimentation in Britain, 1918-48. Edwards, Martin. Editions Rodopi 2007 221 pages $64.00 Hardcover The Wellcome series in the history of medicine, Clio medica medica (māˑ·dē·k ; 82 R853 The early twentieth century prominently featured an array of drugs which would astound a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, even the most hedonistic he·don·ism n. 1. Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses. 2. Philosophy The ethical doctrine holding that only what is pleasant or has pleasant consequences is intrinsically good. and recreational user of today. Further, many of the medicines then available were completely unproved and an alarming number were actually deadly. Edwards, a physician, historian and clinical researcher, traces the development of the randomized controlled trial A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a scientific procedure most commonly used in testing medicines or medical procedures. RCTs are considered the most reliable form of scientific evidence because it eliminates all forms of spurious causality. , now the gold standard but in its origins a wild and dangerous idea that challenged the very concept of "control." Edwards describes early trials and the controversy surrounding them, the fates of such trials as the evaluation of raw pancreas therapy and light therapy, the controversies of serum therapy serum therapy n. See serotherapy. for pneumonia from 1929 to 1934, the strategies of Almroth Wright and Bradford Hill to capture the nomenclature of controlled trials, and in a fascinating conclusion, what is controlled about the current controlled trial. The period photographs and illustrations are well-chosen. ([c]20082005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR) |
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