Researchers tested a new medicine intended to reduce muscle cramps after exercise. One group of patients took the medicine and another group took identical tablets containing no active drug. Neither the patients nor the doctors knew which tablets each patient had taken.
The patients who took the medicine reported fewer muscle cramps than the patients who took the tablets containing no active drug.
State the name of the process that should be completed before a scientific report is accepted for publication in a scientific journal.
Explain why one group took tablets containing no active drug.
Give one reason why neither the patients nor the doctors knew which tablets each patient had taken.
252 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Biology 3.1 Communicable diseases, covering 3.1.1 Communicable (infectious) diseases, 3.1.2 Viral diseases, 3.1.3 Bacterial diseases, 3.1.4 Fungal diseases, 3.1.5 Protist diseases, 3.1.6 Human defence systems, 3.1.7 Vaccination, 3.1.8 Antibiotics and painkillers, and 3.1.9 Discovery and development of drugs. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.