Logo image
From Oranges and Lemons to Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate: Clinical Observations Stimulate Basic Research
Journal article   Peer reviewed

From Oranges and Lemons to Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate: Clinical Observations Stimulate Basic Research

Joseph Buckwalter, John Callaghan and Randy Rosier
Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume, Vol.83(8), pp.1266-1268
08/2001
DOI: 10.2106/00004623-200108000-00016
PMID: 11507135

View Online

Abstract

Over the long history of the medical profession, physicians seeking answers to questions raised by their clinical observations have had a central role in stimulating research that has improved the prevention and treatment of disease. In the last fifty years, the increasing cost and complexity of scientific investigation have helped to make basic biomedical research an enterprise of its own, increasingly separated from physicians who are skilled and experienced in medical practice. This change has occurred to the extent that expert clinicians who participate in basic scientific investigations have become scarce. Some outstanding scientists currently believe that biomedical science has advanced to the point that there is little need for investing in basic research that is stimulated or guided by clinical observations or for testing the value of basic research against clinical experience. At the same time, some prominent clinicians believe that asking fundamental questions about their clinical practice accomplishes little and that they can rely on pharmaceutical, medical-implant, and technology companies to provide the information and innovations that improve patient care. Should these views go unchallenged?

Details

Metrics

Logo image