From the Editor Baseball's Creation Myth . . . and Optometry's Creation Myth?

Abstract

Historical narratives reflect the biases of their creators. In order to promote his own interests, sporting goods magnate A.G. Spalding created a "creation myth" that baseball was a uniquely American sport which evolved from the English game "rounders." While historians later debunked this assertion and established an earlier and more complicated origin story for baseball, Spalding's historical narrative persists in popular culture. Optometry has a similar "creation myth" which holds that the profession began at the turn-of-the 20th century in the United States with the founding members of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the move to make optometry a legislated profession. However, optometry's origins are much older, beginning in the late 13th century and, therefore, can be divided into periods. The period beginning in 1890 and which saw the founding of the AOA should be viewed as the beginning of "modern optometry." Optometry historians should recognize the importance of all periods of optometry history.