The International Abstract of Surgery (after 1946, called the International Abstracts of Surgery) was a major monthly supplement to Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics (SG&O) from 1913 until SG&O became the Journal of the American College of Surgeons in 1994.
The history of the International Abstract(s) reflects the extraordinary initiative and business sense of Franklin H. Martin, MD, FACS, the early influence of the Society of Clinical Surgery (SCS), the catastrophic world events of the early 20th century, and the emergence of English as a global scientific language.1
Dr. Martin founded SG&O in 1905, retaining financial control, and its rapid success enabled him to put his further ideas into practice. The journal underwrote the first Clinical Congress in 1910, and Dr. Martin acknowledged that it had been inspired by the example of SCS visits to centers in Europe and America. He also was willing to…
