Thorax at 60

Editors look for articles that say something new, and studies don’t have to be large and grand. I have selected two papers and an editorial from among the many I could have chosen. They may not be landmark articles, but they are probably the three articles I have quoted most widely in discussions and teaching. I enjoy the fact that the two studies are simple, showing that valuable information can still be obtained by studying patients carefully and without breaking the bank. First is a paper by Tweedale et al 1 which looked at short term repeatability of FEV1 and bronchodilator responsiveness in patients with airflow obstruction. The authors showed that within subject differences in FEV1 …