Once again a team from the Aberdeen Centre for Evaluation (ACE) asked the public to take part in the clinical trial ‘Lime or Brine’ during the University’s Founder’s Week Discovery Day event Founders' Week: Discovery Day | Events | The University of Aberdeen.
To set the scene: It is 1747 on the Royal Navy ship HMS Salisbury where members of the crew suffer from an outbreak of scurvy. The ships surgeon James Lind rolled out the first clinical trial, randomising 12 shipmen with scurvy to 6 different remedies (treatments), including citrus fruit.
Back in the present during this free family friendly event, members of the public were invited to join the ‘Lime or Brine’ clinical trial and were randomised to one of two ‘treatments’ by pulling a green (Lime) or blue (Brine) ball out of a black bag (without peeping!). Participants then received their randomised treatment of a fruit sweet for lime or a mint for brine.
The ‘Lime or Brine’ clinical trial recruited 170 participants on the day while exploring James Lind’s discovery that citrus fruit can treat scurvy due to their vitamin C content.
The ACE team very much enjoyed the day and were happy to share their knowledge about clinical trials and answer questions.