Health & biology · 1747

Controlled clinical trial

James Lind gave six pairs of scurvy-stricken sailors different remedies; citrus cured them.

Aboard HMS Salisbury in 1747, Lind ran one of the first controlled clinical trials, comparing treatments side by side. Comparing groups under the same conditions became the foundation of evidence-based medicine.

See it in the living tree Wikipedia

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 1

Scientific method 1620

What it led to 2

Handwashing in hospitals 1847
Oral rehydration therapy 1968

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Life expectancy in the UK since 1543 Latest: 81.3 years (2023) Source: Our World in Data