The American Journal of Biological Anthropology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal and an official journal of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists. It was established in 1918 by Aleš Hrdlička . It covers the field of biological anthropology, a discipline which Hrdlička defined in the first issue as "the study of racial anatomy, physiology and pathology." The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology was the original publisher. Before launching publication, there were few outlets in the United States to publish scientific work in physical anthropology. Scientists hoping to learn more about recent discoveries often had to wait for several months or even years before becoming available in libraries throughout the country.