Clinical and statistical evaluation of six hypnotic agents.

Six hypnotic drugs and a placebo were coded and administered at random, one dose at 8 p.m., to 20 patients in a Toronto hospital. A special evaluation scale was used, studying average duration of sleep, time of onset of sleep, quality of sleep and side effects. Secobarbital sodium and methyprylon were statistically significantly more effective than the placebo. The other drugs, glutethimide and three quinozolinone derivatives, were not statistically different from the placebo in their effects. The placebo effect itself was studied. A particular feature of this report is the detailed statistical treatment of the data collected.