Editorial: Arthur Wilson and the ascent of woman

The lead article in this issue is the Arthur Wilson Oration as delivered by Professor Alastair McLennan, who is well known both nationally and internationally for his many contributions to our speciality. His remarkable character equips him well for taking on difficult roles and I am sure he is the only person in the world who can claim to have been President of both a leading perinatal research organisation (PSANZ) and also the Menopause Society. His interests both academic and clinical have always been many and varied. His oration covers, from a historical perspective, many of the important changes in reproductive health and outcomes which have affected women’s health generally over the last 150 years. Alastair has brilliantly intertwined many themes including fertility rates, maternal mortality, cerebral palsy, menopause and even obesity. For those of you who did not have the pleasure of listening to the oration it is reproduced in full.