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The Beginning – Historical Aspects of Clinical Research, Clinical Research: Definitions, “Anatomy and Physiology,” and the Quest for “Universal Truth”

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Abstract

To answer many of their clinical questions, health care practitioners need access to reports of original research. This requires the reader to critically appraise the design, conduct, and analysis of each study and subsequently interpret the results. This first chapter reviews some of the key historical developments that have led to the current paradigms used in clinical research, such as the concept of randomization, blinding (masking) and, placebo-controls.

Scientific inquiry is seeing what everyone else is seeing, but thinking of what no one else has thought

A. Szentgyorgyi. 1873 (he won the Nobel Prize for isolating Vitamin C) [1].

Hulley S, Cummings S, Browner WS. Designing clinical research. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Ave S MT638, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA

    Stephen P. Glasser M.D.

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  1. Stephen P. Glasser M.D.
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Correspondence to Stephen P. Glasser M.D. .

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  1. Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

    Stephen P. Glasser

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Glasser, S.P. (2014). The Beginning – Historical Aspects of Clinical Research, Clinical Research: Definitions, “Anatomy and Physiology,” and the Quest for “Universal Truth”. In: Glasser, S. (eds) Essentials of Clinical Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05470-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05470-4_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-05469-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-05470-4

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