Aviation medicine in the United Kingdom: early years, 1911-1918

This is the first of three brief papers that summarize the history of aviation medicine in the Royal Air Force. Just as the generals and politicians were slow to appreciate the potential of the airplane, so the medical establishment was slow in understanding that the flight environment involved medical and physiological challenges. This note outlines the development of research to support British military aviators up to the formation of the Royal Air Force in 1918.