An early 'clinical trial' as a teaching exercise: the Book of Daniel 1.1-15 (1.1-20).
This article discusses a very early clinical trial from the Old Testament. One of Daniel's and his companions' tribulations in Babylonia is explicated within the framework of the modern clinical trial. Even if many, or maybe even most, guidelines for good clinical trial practice are violated (it can even be argued that this is not really a clinical trial), a discussion of this biblico-historical episode in, for example, a problem-based course in (clinical) epidemiology or a course in the critical appraisal of the literature, can be a useful (and possibly entertaining) exercise.
Ostbye
T
T
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Rochon
J
J
D001633:Bible; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*