The first t‐test

The data with which Student illustrated the application of his famous distribution are examined from a number of aspects. Central to the discussion is the within‐patient clinical trial at Kalamazoo whose results were published by Cushny and Peebles and misquoted by Student and Fisher. This trial is discussed from historical, pharmacological and statistical perspectives. Student's and Fisher's analyses and a more modern analysis by Preece are considered as is Cushny's and Peebles's interpretation. Brief biographies of the five physicians involved in running the trial are presented.