Humbug, the Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry, and the Origin of “The Blind Test” of Therapeutic Efficacy

Bennett Holman

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-29179-2_17

Humbug, the Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry, and the Origin of “The Blind Test” of Therapeutic Efficacy

Bennett Holman

Underwood Division

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

This paper examines an early attempt to purge the medical field of commercial exploitation and promote rational therapeutics. The historical study of the origin of the double-blind randomized controlled trial as a standard of therapeutic efficacy reveals that concerns which seem entirely modern, are actually deeply entrenched in the history of medical research. Specifically, those whose primary concern was with ending the use of inefficacious, and sometimes positively dangerous drugs, found themselves in an ideological battle with those who benefitted financially from their use.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science
Publisher	Springer Nature
Pages	397-416
Number of pages	20
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29179-2_17
Publication status	Published - 2020

Publication series

Name	Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science
Volume	338
ISSN (Print)	0068-0346
ISSN (Electronic)	2214-7942

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Anthropology
Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Literature and Literary Theory
History and Philosophy of Science

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-030-29179-2_17

Cite this

@inbook{3b0a5c701e8246018ff08589c655c1ea,

title = "Humbug, the Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry, and the Origin of “The Blind Test” of Therapeutic Efficacy",

abstract = "This paper examines an early attempt to purge the medical field of commercial exploitation and promote rational therapeutics. The historical study of the origin of the double-blind randomized controlled trial as a standard of therapeutic efficacy reveals that concerns which seem entirely modern, are actually deeply entrenched in the history of medical research. Specifically, those whose primary concern was with ending the use of inefficacious, and sometimes positively dangerous drugs, found themselves in an ideological battle with those who benefitted financially from their use.",

author = "Bennett Holman",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.",

year = "2020",

doi = "10.1007/978-3-030-29179-2_17",

language = "English",

series = "Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science",

publisher = "Springer Nature",

pages = "397--416",

booktitle = "Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science",

address = "United States",

}

TY - CHAP

T1 - Humbug, the Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry, and the Origin of “The Blind Test” of Therapeutic Efficacy

AU - Holman, Bennett

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - This paper examines an early attempt to purge the medical field of commercial exploitation and promote rational therapeutics. The historical study of the origin of the double-blind randomized controlled trial as a standard of therapeutic efficacy reveals that concerns which seem entirely modern, are actually deeply entrenched in the history of medical research. Specifically, those whose primary concern was with ending the use of inefficacious, and sometimes positively dangerous drugs, found themselves in an ideological battle with those who benefitted financially from their use.

AB - This paper examines an early attempt to purge the medical field of commercial exploitation and promote rational therapeutics. The historical study of the origin of the double-blind randomized controlled trial as a standard of therapeutic efficacy reveals that concerns which seem entirely modern, are actually deeply entrenched in the history of medical research. Specifically, those whose primary concern was with ending the use of inefficacious, and sometimes positively dangerous drugs, found themselves in an ideological battle with those who benefitted financially from their use.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101653643&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85101653643&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-030-29179-2_17

DO - 10.1007/978-3-030-29179-2_17

M3 - Chapter

AN - SCOPUS:85101653643

T3 - Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science

SP - 397

EP - 416

BT - Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science

PB - Springer Nature

ER -

Humbug, the Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry, and the Origin of “The Blind Test” of Therapeutic Efficacy

Abstract

Publication series

Bibliographical note

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this