In 1747, the naval surgeon James Lind was serving on HMS Salisbury in the Channel Fleet. From 20 May, he tested treatments for scurvy on twelve sick sailors, in six pairs. Each pair received a different supplement, including cider vinegar, herbs and citrus fruit. The men given oranges and lemons recovered fastest.
Lind published the results in 1753 in A Treatise of the Scurvy. His experiment is considered one of the first controlled clinical trials.