Since its inception in 1896, the goal of Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) has been to publish outstanding and enduring studies in medical biology. At a time when many leading publishing groups are establishing topic-specific journals, we believe it is critical to complement that approach by offering a distinguished venue for publication of studies that integrate disciplines within the field of pathogenesis. In October 1902, Welch appealed to the board of The Rockefeller Institute to take over the journal. The transfer of ownership and publication responsibilities required the physical transfer of manuscripts from Welch’s office, which fell to the director of The Rockefeller Institute, Simon Flexner, who carried the abandoned manuscripts from Baltimore to New York in a suitcase. The first issue of JEM published by The Rockefeller Institute appeared in February 1905, with Flexner serving as editor, and the journal has been published regularly since then. Although the journal was adopted by The Rockefeller Institute as a venue for publication of the Institute’s own research, it also accepted submissions from outside. Even in the early years, more than half of the papers published in the journal came from external labs.