If the story you’re reading is about health, there’s one place you should be sure to look for a second opinion: the Cochrane Collaboration. It’s named after Archie Cochrane, a doctor, epidemiologist, and campaigner for better evidence in medicine. In 1941, when Cochrane was captured by the Germans and became a prisoner of war, he improvised a clinical trial. It was an astonishing combination of bravery, determination, and humility. The prison camp was full of sick men—Cochrane was one of them—and he suspected that the illness was caused by a dietary deficiency, but he knew that he didn’t know
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