 The ethics of clinical research begins by asking how we should think about the fate of these latter sailors. Did Lind treat them appropriately? Do they have a moral claim against Lind? It is widely assumed that physicians should do what they think is best for the patient in front of them. Lind, despite being a physician, did not follow this maxim. He felt strongly that giving sea water to individuals with scurvy was a bad idea, but he gave sea water to 2 of the sailors in his study to test whether he, or others, were right. To put the fundamental concern raised by clinical research in its simplest form: Did Lind sacrifice these two sailors, patients under his care, for the benefit of others? 