Hugh MacPherson, who died last August from pancreatic cancer, left a legacy to the world-wide acupuncture community that could well inspire verse after verse of a Scottish ballad. 

The song would tell of the wondrous breadth of his research contributions, from the laboratory to the real-world; from the ‘n=1’ design to the mega-data analyses of the Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration; from the STRICTA guidelines for reporting clinical trial results to his presentations on the BBC and at the House of Lords urging wider acceptance of acupuncture as a healthcare option. 

The ballad would include verses telling of Hugh’s many awards and honors (honours as he would correct us), culminating in his being named the UK’s first Professor of Acupuncture Research, at the University of York. 

And the ballad would add a verse describing how in April of this year, fittingly on Hugh’s birthday, the UK’s National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) smiled up at him by announcing its revised recommendations for treatment of chronic pain, which included a strong endorsement for acupuncture.

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