CHANGING TRENDS IN CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
- Charles H. Burnett, M.D.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
Changing trends in American medicine, medical education, and research have for many years been favorite subjects for messages from chairmen. Nevertheless, since this represents the Centennial Meeting of the Section on Experimental Medicine and Therapeutics, it seems timely to discuss briefly a few of the problems related to the dynamic developments in science in terms of their impact on clinical investigation.
The word "clinical" is derived from the Greek word klinikos which means bed; hence, Dr. Fuller Albright pointed out 15 years ago: "Since animals do not sleep in beds, it is quite clear that 'clinical investigation' has primarily to do with the investigation of sick people and is concerned only secondarily, if at all, with sick laboratory animals."1 One could argue the restrictions imposed by the above statement. Few would disagree that the greatest contributions from clinical investigation have come from success in opening up new knowledge of
Footnotes
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Chairman's address, read before the Section on Experimental Medicine and Therapeutics at the 108th Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association, Atlantic City, June 9, 1959.
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This paper is being published simultaneously in the December issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
