Thoughts on the New Journal Selma Harrison Calmes M.D. PII: DOI: Reference:
S2352-4529(14)00006-1 doi: 10.1016/j.janh.2014.11.005 JANH 5
To appear in:
Journal of Anesthesia History
Please cite this article as: , Thoughts on the New Journal, Journal of Anesthesia History (2014), doi: 10.1016/j.janh.2014.11.005
This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 1 THOUGHTS ON THE NEW JOURNAL Selma Harrison Calmes M.D.
T
Founding Editor, Anesthesia History Association Newsletter
RI P
Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology (Retired), The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Anesthesiology Consultant, Los Angeles County Coroner/Medical Examiner
SC
Los Angeles, CA
NU
[email protected]
AC
CE
PT
ED
MA
Running Head: Time Marches On
1
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 2
Time marches on. Change is relentless. And so it is with anesthesia history. This important
T
event, the launch of the new Journal of Anesthesia History (JAH) in a modern electronic format and with
RI P
a major publisher, marks the next step for those committed to documenting the history of our specialty. This new journal began in December 1982 as the voice of the newly formed Anesthesia History
SC
Association (AHA) and utilized “cut and paste” techniques done on my kitchen table; computers and
NU
word-processing were not available then. Named the AHA Newsletter, its goals were to communicate to AHA members what was happening in the organization and to stimulate interest in anesthesia history
MA
using articles on anesthesia history museums, research techniques and sources in history, and the history of anesthesia in various countries. As the AHA grew and had more resources, expert help with
ED
production led to a more sophisticated and higher quality newsletter. The name changed to Bulletin of Anesthesia History (BAH) in 1995, when the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM) joined
PT
with the AHA to support publication. C. Ron Stephen, M.D., became editor in April 1986, followed by
CE
Doris K. Cope, M.D., in 1996. Current editor David B. Waisel, M.D,. took over in April 2012 and led the transition to this new format and this new purpose, to promote the study of anesthesia history by
AC
providing a strong academic forum for historians of anesthesia. I wrote, “Anesthesia history has come of age!” in 1996 (the 150th anniversary of the first successful demonstration of surgical anesthesia) in an editorial for the compilation of past Bulletin of Anesthesia History articles titled Anesthesia History Association Newsletters (1982-1995).1 Where do we stand now, 18 years later? There has been an explosion of opportunities in anesthesia history: in addition to the long-standing Lewis H. Wright Memorial Lecture, history forums and abstracts are now presented at the annual American Society of Anesthesiologist meetings; resident members are on the WLM and AHA Board; the support organization Friends of the WLM was founded; the annual AHA C. Ronald Stephen, M.D., Anesthesia History Essay Contest for residents, the annual AHA David M. Little
2
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 3 awards for the best original work on anesthesia history, and the WLM Laureate of the History of Anesthesia recognize excellent work on anesthesia history. However, there is no real “academic home,” as
T
discussed by Editor David B. Waisel, M.D., in his article, Thoughts on the Bulletin2, in the April 2013 issue
RI P
of the BAH. The editorial accompanies an article by Mulita, Liu and Desai, Publication trends for articles related to the history of anesthesia: A 10-year analysis from six journals.3 That article demonstrates the
SC
few opportunities to publish anesthesia history articles in standard anesthesia journals. To advance
NU
anesthesia history as an academic discipline, a dedicated journal is needed. This will increase publication opportunities and allow for academic advancement for those committed to scholarly activity in
MA
anesthesia history.
However, last year’s experience reviewing anesthesia history papers for one anesthesia journal
ED
leads me to wonder if we have the needed academic rigor to carry this off. One reason why people can’t advance academically by publishing history articles is that promotions committees don’t yet see
PT
anesthesia history as an academic discipline. One critical factor here is that “real” historians (Ph.D.
CE
historians with academic appointments) are missing. I’d like to argue that we need to link up with “real” historians, along with launching this new, dedicated journal, to help us move forward. Over the years,
AC
“real” historians have helped me write papers, introduced me to new historical techniques and new colleagues who offered useful thoughts on my research and provided suggestions of other areas to explore. It helped to be in an academic setting with strong history of medicine and history of science faculties in close physical proximity to the medical center and to be in a city with active history of medicine organizations and institutions. What if you’re not so lucky? How about reading a lot of “popular” history to see good examples of how to tell an historical story? There is a lot to learn about methods, sources and “telling the historical story” by reading such popular authors as Doris Kearns Goodwin, who writes on various aspects of life in World War II, and Rick Atkinson, whose stories of World War II in The Liberation Trilogy. Both are easy to read because the writing is great, the stories are
3
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 4 powerful and the references can be useful. Another method is to ask for critiques by others who write on anesthesia history before you submit a paper to JAH. This is common in the history community and
T
is very helpful. Once a paper is submitted, pay attention to the reviewers’ comments. Finally, don’t get
RI P
discouraged if you have to revise a paper several times. The back-and-forth between reviewers and authors, although time-consuming, will result in a better paper. Finally, I hope you can find a topic for
SC
your paper that you can be passionate about—this passion will help you commit to your subject and to
NU
do the needed research work and careful writing to “tell the story.” Best wishes to Editor David Waisel and the new journal! May it develop and respond to changing times as other AHA publications have.
is an appropriate time to recognize them:
MA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Many people provided critical support to the publications of the AHA, and this
ED
1. The previous editors, listed in the first paragraph. 2. AJ Wright, M.L.S., librarian in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Alabama at
PT
Birmingham, who linked us to web resources effectively at an early point in the internet’s
CE
history.
3. Debbie Lipscomb, who provided very high quality editorial and graphic services to the
AC
Newsletter and Bulletin for many years. (Debbie is married to my ex-UCLA resident and colleague Denham Ward, M.D., Ph.D., now President of FAER.) 4. Debbie Bloomberg, Dr. Cope’s ex-secretary at the University of Pittsburgh, handled production and mailing for many years also as well as arrangements for the AHA annual dinner. Their help and leadership over many years are very much appreciated; thank you all!
4
S2352-4529(14)00006-1 doi: 10.1016/j.janh.2014.11.005 JANH 5
To appear in:
Journal of Anesthesia History
Please cite this article as: , Thoughts on the New Journal, Journal of Anesthesia History (2014), doi: 10.1016/j.janh.2014.11.005
This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 1 THOUGHTS ON THE NEW JOURNAL Selma Harrison Calmes M.D.
T
Founding Editor, Anesthesia History Association Newsletter
RI P
Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology (Retired), The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Anesthesiology Consultant, Los Angeles County Coroner/Medical Examiner
SC
Los Angeles, CA
NU
[email protected]
AC
CE
PT
ED
MA
Running Head: Time Marches On
1
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 2
Time marches on. Change is relentless. And so it is with anesthesia history. This important
T
event, the launch of the new Journal of Anesthesia History (JAH) in a modern electronic format and with
RI P
a major publisher, marks the next step for those committed to documenting the history of our specialty. This new journal began in December 1982 as the voice of the newly formed Anesthesia History
SC
Association (AHA) and utilized “cut and paste” techniques done on my kitchen table; computers and
NU
word-processing were not available then. Named the AHA Newsletter, its goals were to communicate to AHA members what was happening in the organization and to stimulate interest in anesthesia history
MA
using articles on anesthesia history museums, research techniques and sources in history, and the history of anesthesia in various countries. As the AHA grew and had more resources, expert help with
ED
production led to a more sophisticated and higher quality newsletter. The name changed to Bulletin of Anesthesia History (BAH) in 1995, when the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM) joined
PT
with the AHA to support publication. C. Ron Stephen, M.D., became editor in April 1986, followed by
CE
Doris K. Cope, M.D., in 1996. Current editor David B. Waisel, M.D,. took over in April 2012 and led the transition to this new format and this new purpose, to promote the study of anesthesia history by
AC
providing a strong academic forum for historians of anesthesia. I wrote, “Anesthesia history has come of age!” in 1996 (the 150th anniversary of the first successful demonstration of surgical anesthesia) in an editorial for the compilation of past Bulletin of Anesthesia History articles titled Anesthesia History Association Newsletters (1982-1995).1 Where do we stand now, 18 years later? There has been an explosion of opportunities in anesthesia history: in addition to the long-standing Lewis H. Wright Memorial Lecture, history forums and abstracts are now presented at the annual American Society of Anesthesiologist meetings; resident members are on the WLM and AHA Board; the support organization Friends of the WLM was founded; the annual AHA C. Ronald Stephen, M.D., Anesthesia History Essay Contest for residents, the annual AHA David M. Little
2
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 3 awards for the best original work on anesthesia history, and the WLM Laureate of the History of Anesthesia recognize excellent work on anesthesia history. However, there is no real “academic home,” as
T
discussed by Editor David B. Waisel, M.D., in his article, Thoughts on the Bulletin2, in the April 2013 issue
RI P
of the BAH. The editorial accompanies an article by Mulita, Liu and Desai, Publication trends for articles related to the history of anesthesia: A 10-year analysis from six journals.3 That article demonstrates the
SC
few opportunities to publish anesthesia history articles in standard anesthesia journals. To advance
NU
anesthesia history as an academic discipline, a dedicated journal is needed. This will increase publication opportunities and allow for academic advancement for those committed to scholarly activity in
MA
anesthesia history.
However, last year’s experience reviewing anesthesia history papers for one anesthesia journal
ED
leads me to wonder if we have the needed academic rigor to carry this off. One reason why people can’t advance academically by publishing history articles is that promotions committees don’t yet see
PT
anesthesia history as an academic discipline. One critical factor here is that “real” historians (Ph.D.
CE
historians with academic appointments) are missing. I’d like to argue that we need to link up with “real” historians, along with launching this new, dedicated journal, to help us move forward. Over the years,
AC
“real” historians have helped me write papers, introduced me to new historical techniques and new colleagues who offered useful thoughts on my research and provided suggestions of other areas to explore. It helped to be in an academic setting with strong history of medicine and history of science faculties in close physical proximity to the medical center and to be in a city with active history of medicine organizations and institutions. What if you’re not so lucky? How about reading a lot of “popular” history to see good examples of how to tell an historical story? There is a lot to learn about methods, sources and “telling the historical story” by reading such popular authors as Doris Kearns Goodwin, who writes on various aspects of life in World War II, and Rick Atkinson, whose stories of World War II in The Liberation Trilogy. Both are easy to read because the writing is great, the stories are
3
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 4 powerful and the references can be useful. Another method is to ask for critiques by others who write on anesthesia history before you submit a paper to JAH. This is common in the history community and
T
is very helpful. Once a paper is submitted, pay attention to the reviewers’ comments. Finally, don’t get
RI P
discouraged if you have to revise a paper several times. The back-and-forth between reviewers and authors, although time-consuming, will result in a better paper. Finally, I hope you can find a topic for
SC
your paper that you can be passionate about—this passion will help you commit to your subject and to
NU
do the needed research work and careful writing to “tell the story.” Best wishes to Editor David Waisel and the new journal! May it develop and respond to changing times as other AHA publications have.
is an appropriate time to recognize them:
MA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Many people provided critical support to the publications of the AHA, and this
ED
1. The previous editors, listed in the first paragraph. 2. AJ Wright, M.L.S., librarian in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Alabama at
PT
Birmingham, who linked us to web resources effectively at an early point in the internet’s
CE
history.
3. Debbie Lipscomb, who provided very high quality editorial and graphic services to the
AC
Newsletter and Bulletin for many years. (Debbie is married to my ex-UCLA resident and colleague Denham Ward, M.D., Ph.D., now President of FAER.) 4. Debbie Bloomberg, Dr. Cope’s ex-secretary at the University of Pittsburgh, handled production and mailing for many years also as well as arrangements for the AHA annual dinner. Their help and leadership over many years are very much appreciated; thank you all!
4
