Professor Griffith Edwards - Telegraph A subsequent evaluation of these patients two years after discharge indicated that those having more severe alcohol dependence did better with the more intensive treatment, thereby stimulating a series of studies on the "matching hypothesis" - which postulated that patients would benefit most from treatments matching the severity of their symptoms. But drawing conclusions from the evidence of addicts proved problematic. Edwards and his statistical colleague Colin Taylor later analysed additional data collected from the same patients, reporting that their original treatment-matching findings may have been erroneous because the effect they observed at two years post-treatment was not present in the first year after treatment. The authors" honest admission of a possible false conclusion was prescient. Many subsequent studies also failed to find matching effects. In another example of intellectual integrity, Edwards re-interviewed a series of alcoholic patients who had been studied previously by his mentor, the psychiatrist DL Davies. The original study, published in 1962, reported the counter-intuitive finding that many patients had successfully returned to moderate drinking after being treated for severe alcohol dependence. Edwards's findings, published 23 years after Davies first reported his conclusions, showed that Davies had been substantially misled by his patients and that not one of them was likely to have become a moderate drinker. In addition to his clinical research, Edwards had a strong interest in the translation of addiction science into treatment and prevention policies. His work with the WHO and various British ministries resulted in the publication of numerous books and committee reports devoted to the evidence base for different alcohol and drug policies. Griffith Edwards not only had a profound influence on the way addiction is conceived, treated and prevented, he also influenced the evolution of the field's infrastructure and global outlook. Perhaps his proudest achievement was his 25-year editorship of the scientific journal Addiction. His vision for an international community of scholars devoted to the study of addiction crystallised around the journal. By the time he retired in 2003, he had transformed this small British clinical journal into a global medium for scientific communication, with three international offices and more than 150 assistant editors from 17 countries involved in the refereeing process. The journal had also become a beacon of scientific findings, a sounding board for heated debate, and a leader in the promotion of scientific integrity. A prolific writer, Edwards was the author or co-author of more than 300 scientific articles, 40 books and numerous reports and editorials. In addition to numerous academic awards, in 1987 he was appointed CBE. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and by his son and daughter from his previous marriage to Evelyn Morrison; another daughter predeceased him. Professor Griffith Edwards, born October 3 1928, died September 13 2012