7) Highlight of Professional Journals in the History of Health Sciences

The Journal of the History of 
Medicine and Allied Sciences 
& 
AMBIX: Journal of the Society for the 
History of Alchemy and Chemistry

By: Patrick Corcoran, MLIS candidate, University of Southern Mississippi

--Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences--

http://jhmas.oxfordjournals.org/

Cover of Recent Issue                                 (JHMAS, n.d.)

--AMBIX-Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry--

http://www.ambix.org/

     

Cover of Recent Issue                                 (AMBIX, 2013)

   These two quarterly journals represent many in the specialized world of history of health sciences, therefore can be found in libraries/archives of the history of medicine.  The Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences may seem more straightforwardly germane to the subject than the Journal of the Society of the History of Alchemy and Chemistry.  However, when pertaining to the latter, the field of alchemy has an inextricable bond, throughout time, with the healing arts.
   The JHMAC describes itself thus:

Started in 1946, the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences is internationally recognized as one of the top publications in its field. The journal's coverage is broad, publishing the latest original research on the written beginnings of medicine in all its aspects. When possible and appropriate, it focuses on what practitioners of the healing arts did or taught, and how their peers, as well as patients, received and interpreted their efforts. Subscribers include clinicians and hospital libraries, as well as academic and public historians. (JHMAS, 2015, about)

   An example of a commentary pulled from the pages of this journal, is a wonderful example of why the field of the history of health sciences is needed and, therefore, why repositories and professional organizations are essential in the dissemination of this knowledge and contributors to the medical education history body of knowledge.  Jon Arrizabalaga simply titles his commentary as "Does History Matter? Commentary on 'Making the Case for History in Medical Education', In this, he briefly, yet effectively shows the enormous impact that knowing medical history can help in understanding the present state of affairs, as well as, how it will further empower future medical professionals. (Arrizabalaga, 2015)

   Whilst AMBIX describes itself:

The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (SHAC) has a long and distinguished history, having first been founded by J.R. Partington (1886-1965), Frank Sherwood Taylor (1897-1956) and Douglas McKie (1896-1967) in 1935. Read more on SHAC’s history here.

Today the Society is managed by a Council of 18 members. The Council normally meets twice a year. It has five officers: Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, and Editor of Ambix. Further roles are carried out by members of Council or by observers at Council. The Annual General Meeting of the Society is held in the Autumn of each year. The Society is registered as a charity with the Charity Commision (registered number 313777) and is governed by its Constitutionwhich was last amended in December 2014.

The Society’s archives have been deposited with the Museum for the History of Science, Oxford University, where they are available for scholars to consult. Its latest trustees annual report and annual accounts are available on this website. (AMBIX, 2013, about)

   An effective and succinct brief history of the organization, on its 75th anniversary, can be found in Peter Morris' departing editorial from 2012. In the AMBIX article, he writes of his decade of experience as editor, how he found the organization and how he hopes he leaves it.  Morris also speaks on his concerns, as well as, how AMBIX has changed over the years. He finishes by asking why chemists have all but stopped submitting articles and then pays homage to the founder of the society. (Morris, 2012)

Bibliography

AMBIX-Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry. (Feb. 2013). [Image]. 
 Retrieved from http://www.ambix.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/amb_rgb_shadow-2.jpg

AMBIX-Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry. (2013). About.
 Retrieved from http://www.ambix.org/about/

Arrizabalaga, J. Does History Matter? Commentary on "Making the Case for History in Medical Education"
 J Hist Med Allied Sci (2015) 70 (4):653-655. doi: 10.1093/jhmas/jrv017


JHMAS-Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. (n.d.). [Image] 
 Retrieved from http://jhmas.oxfordjournals.org/content/70/4.cover.gif

JHMAS-Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. (n.d.). [Image] 
 Retrieved from http://jhmas.oxfordjournals.org/content/70/4.cover.gif

Morris, P. T. (2012). Musings from a Departing Editor on the 75th Anniversary of Ambix. Ambix, 59(3), 189-196.  doi:10.1179/174582312X13484746071949