Lind also initiated the first effective measures aimed at enhancing hygiene in the British navy, but he is best known for his work on scurvy, reported in A Treatise of the Scurvy (1753). Not only was this the first reported clinical trial, it also was proof that a dietary deficiency can cause disease, that a well-balanced diet is essential for good health. Thus Lind, like Fracastorius, was responsible for an important paradigm shift in understanding of causes and control of disease.