A history of the Arthritis Research Campaign Epidemiology Unit, 1954-2004

The founders of the Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) Epidemiology Unit were Kellgren and Lawrence. Their initial work was conducted in miners and then in the general population. They pioneered standardized methods of interview, examination and X-ray evaluation. They also played a key role in the early development of classification criteria for use in epidemiological surveys. The second director, Philip Wood, focused on understanding the impact of rheumatic diseases on the individual and on society. He was largely responsible for the International Classification of Impairments Disabilities and Handicaps. In the last 30 yrs, developments in statistics, computing and genetics have enabled the basic questions of disease aetiology to be re-examined. The third director, Alan Silman, took over in 1988. The Unit now has three research divisions: Genetics and Genomics, Outcome Studies and Population Surveys.