Comments on the article by Chen-Scarabelli and Scarabelli: history of medicine in the 'hidden world' and relevant articles in systematic reviews.

摘要

When writing a review manuscript, choosing among potentially citable references is an arduous task. Decisions are commonly based on several aspects, ranging from obvious content relevance, passing through impact factor of the journal in which a prospective citable article was written, and reaching to sovereign personal preferences. Articles written in non-English languages or ranked in low impact factor journals are generally overlooked. On the other hand, articles published by outstanding physicians in the 'hidden world' may bear historical relevance and foster scientific progress.