As I write this Editorial, I am on a flight to Port Hedland and am once again reminded of the size of this country, its often harsh environmental conditions and the ongoing challenges in defending it. This Edition further develops a number of those themes, from historical military challenges to operational clinical management and mental health issues, as they impact on both serving members and veterans.
In this Edition, Dr Horsley has provided an excellent Editorial on Florence Nightingale. This is followed by some detailed discussion on a previous Journal of Military and Veterans Health (JMVH) article by CMDR McKenzie on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, including further commentary and several Letters to the Editors.
The use of bartenders to assist veterans with mental health issues, a critical review of certain lifesaving arts, and how to deal with severe trauma in an austere environment are important articles that address several of the issues facing serving and retired personnel. Finally, Dr Leggat has provided a historical review of tropical diseases of military importance, which remain as equally applicable to the present day military health practitioner.
The AMMA Conference held in Canberra in October 2010 has provided a wide and varied range of interesting papers. I encourage all presenters to consider publishing their presentations as papers in the JMVH, where they can be shared with a wider audience.
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