As the new Lessons from History section editor, I’d like to thank my predecessor George Rodway, PhD for his work in developing a robust and highly respected section. To continue growing the section, we will widen the parameters for manuscript consideration.

Discussions with editor-in-chief Bill Binder, MD, led me to recognize the folly of trying to define history. Time is subjective. Depending on your point of view, history could be an hour ago, yesterday, one year, ten, or thousands of years ago. Topics are elusive. A manuscript may highlight a particular person’s contributions, as in this month’s captivating tribute to cold water pioneer John Hayward, PhD. A history manuscript may also tell the evolution of an illness or injury and its treatment, identify the work of someone previously unrecognized for their contributions, or unveil the discovery of ancient texts describing how a condition was treated hundreds of years ago. The possibilities are endless.

Geography offers another conundrum to understanding the history of science, particularly in wilderness and environmental medicine. Many pathologic conditions particular to these disciplines occur in remote areas. Scientific history from these locations is often hidden from the wider world for various reasons, such as language differences, difficulty locating historical texts, and lack of publishing opportunities. Therefore, we encourage the submission of manuscripts offering historical perspectives on wilderness and environmental medicine from less well-represented regions.

Finally, by undefining history, I hope we will discover previously unknown historic gems about our diverse yet ultimately united interests in wilderness and environmental medicine.

I highly encourage anyone holding an exciting piece of our scientific heritage to consider submitting a manuscript.

Article infoPublication history

Published online: April 25, 2023

Publication stageIn Press Corrected ProofIdentification

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2023.04.005

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© 2023 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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