Standing by Archie Cochrane’s agenda

Taking measured gambles

In 1992, Chalmers, Dickersin, and Chalmers published a landmark editorial for the BMJ. The title was “Getting to Grips with Archie Cochrane’s Agenda”. The closing paragraph gives the bottom line:

The editorial gave impetus to what became the Cochrane Collaboration. Thanks to the Collaboration, many of the editorial wishes have come to pass. Like all successful organisations, Cochrane expanded and moved on from a pioneering phase to the production of thousands of reviews, most of which sum up the effects of biologics, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics.

In 2015, Cochrane decided to drop the “Collaboration,” but for many, this signalled a shift from the “can do” mentality of the early collaborative phase to a more commercial, less spontaneous and bureaucratic phase. 

Originally, Cochrane was structured in groups themed around diseases or syndromes, such as acute respiratory infections, that interested its researchers. Carl and Tom were clinical editors of this group. The groups were heavily …