Let there be light: The Wakley Prize 2011

Abstract

In 1823, reformer Thomas Wakley chose to call his medical journal The Lancet as a play on words: his publication would both illuminate, like a lancet window, and “cut out the dross” like a surgical instrument. In his introduction to the fi rst issue, Wakley signalled his intent to make his publication accessible to as wide an audience as possible, promising to “exclude from our pages the semibarbarous phraseology of the Schools, and adopt as its substitute, plain English diction”. This year, we would like to invite entrants for the Wakley Prize to do the same. We are looking for the brightest and sharpest essays about a topic of importance to health. Whether you are a medical student starting your fi rst year, a mid-career researcher working on a health-related project, a retiring consultant looking back on decades of change and innovation, or a front-line nurse or paramedic describing the day-to-day challenges you face, we want to hear your story, and your opinions. We invite submissions from professionals or students in any health-related specialty. Essays should be no longer than 2000 words and must be submitted by Oct 11, 2011 through the journal’s electronic submission system, specifying “Wakley Prize” as the article type. The winner, as judged by Lancet editors (with authors’ identities masked), will receive £2000 and publication in the fi nal issue of the year. We hope the winning essay will move, entertain, and cast fresh light on the medical world.