Rawlins quoted William Blake's observation .. "God forbid that truth should be confined to mathematical demonstration", and said in his lecture; The notion that evidence can be reliably placed in hierarchies is illusory. Decision makers need to assess and appraise all the available evidence irrespective of whether it has been derived from randomized controlled trials or observational studies; and the strengths and weaknesses of each need to be understood if reasonable and reliable conclusions are to be drawn. According to philosopher John Worrall, if other physicians in the field of evidence based medicine held similar views to Rawlins, his [Worrall's] own philosophical work on evidence based medicine might not be required. Honours and awards Rawlins became a Fellow of the RCP London in 1977, and 10 years later became Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He gained Fellowship of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine in 1989 and of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1998. He was awarded the Hutchinson Medal in 2003, and the Galen Medal in 2010. In 2012 he received the Prince Mahidol Award for his contribution to medicine. Zenith Global Health awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Rawlins was knighted in the 1999 New Year Honours for services to the improvement of patient protection from the side-effects of medicines, and was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to the safety of medicines, healthcare, and innovation. Personal and family In 1963 he married Elizabeth Hambly, a nurse; they divorced in 2005. In 1981 he became the first chairman of the Newcastle upon Tyne SDP and played an active part in the founding and development of the new party. Death Rawlins died in Darlington from sepsis and heart failure on 1 January 2023, at the age of 81. At the time of his death he was honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London, and emeritus professor at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Rawlins is survived by his daughters Vicky, Lucy, and Suzannah, and eight grandchildren. Selected publications Articles Books References Further reading External links Interview on Cancer Research UK's science update blog (Cancer research UK) 1941 births 2023 deaths Fellows of the Royal Statistical Society Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine British