A brief overview of the development of aerospace medicine in the United States

Aerospace medicine has evolved into a legitimate specialty through a long process of historical observation and technical achievement. However, most public literature on the topic has only covered information written through the late 1960s. This paper seeks to give a brief overview of the development of aerospace medicine and includes information about early advances in the field as well as more recent data. A MEDLINE search using "history," "aerospace medicine," and several other search terms as subject headings was the first step in gathering data. Also, personnel from the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine library at Brooks AFB, TX, were consulted for current literature on the subject. From the earliest descriptions of mountain sickness, to the first manned balloon flight, and on to the invention of the airplane with man's forays into space, aerospace medicine has had a rich history. A great part of this rich history was contributed by pioneers, both past and present, of the U.S. Air Force.