Preface
We have the privilege and honor to introduce the 37th edition of The Washington Manual® of Medical Therapeutics. The Manual began as a simple assortment of “Therapeutic Notes” collected by a senior resident, Wayland MacFarlane, in 1943 at the Washington University School of Medicine in St.
Louis. That collection of notes has become one of the most successful medical reference manuals in the history of medicine. During the mid-1960s, The Manual grew in popularity with the publishing of 4000 copies of the 16th edition by Robert Packman, MD, making it available to numerous medical schools across the United States for the first time. The subsequent edition grew to 25,000 copies sold. The Manual has since expanded to incorporate the broad depth of medical knowledge in its increasing complexity. The Manual has sold more than 1 million electronic and print copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 20 languages. Despite the growth of The Manual, the initial mission remains steadfast: to provide relevant, evidence-based clinical support to physicians at the bedside and to positively impact patient care.With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the editors appreciate the speed at which medical knowledge can advance through interprofessional and global collaboration. This edition of The Manual was compiled through the efforts of generations of physicians and learners who sought to contribute to that growing knowledge.
This edition is foremost a tribute to the Washington University in St. Louis Internal Medicine housestaff, fellows, medical students, and attendings with whom we work daily. Their role modeling, mentoring, compassion, teaching, brilliance, and hard work are an unlimited source of enthusiasm, inspiration, and dedication. We consider ourselves very lucky and grateful to have trained alongside them, in service to our patients.
We have great appreciation for the substantial support and direction that Dr. Thomas Ciesielski, the executive editor, provided in the creation of this edition. We also sincerely thank Katie Sharp and the editorial staff at Wolters Kluwer for their assistance and guidance in this effort.
We have had the distinction of serving as chief residents in the Department of Medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and our accomplishments would not have been possible without our larger departmental team. We would like to acknowledge the support and collaboration we have experienced from our Associate Program Directors, Drs. Thomas Ciesielski, Geoffrey Cislo, Anthony Dao, Amber Deptola, Michael DeVita, Patricia Kao, Mary Clare McGregor, Jennifer Schmidt, and Megan Wren. Our Program Director, Dr. Dominique Cosco, has provided us with guidance and immense support during the course of this year. The Chair of the Department of Medicine, Dr. Victoria Fraser, has served as an excellent role model and mentor and holds our sincere admiration.