Journal of Neurological Sciences 153 (1998) 125
Hurrahs and fond farewells from your editors!
Macdonald Critchley, Founder, 1964–1965 1 Lord Walton of Detchant, 1966–1977 Bryan Matthews, 1978–1983 George Bruyn, 1983–1989 James Toole, 1989–1997 When Macdonald Critchley, co-founder with Ludo Van Bogaert of the World Federation of Neurology, established the Journal of the Neurological Sciences in 1964, he and succeeding editors initiated 34 years of evolution and improvement in its format and content. From the beginning, Elsevier, as publisher, has been the encouraging supporter of our efforts. The pool of neurologists and neuroscientists who submit the results of their clinical and basic research has increased steadily to which Elsevier has responded generously by increasing the numbers of pages ´ were printed per issue. In its formative years, JNS resumes in English, French, German, Spanish, Greek and Russian. Only later did English become the interlingua. Organizationally, Regional Editors gathered news and encouraged contributions – Ludo Van Bogaert, Europe; Macdonald Critchley, United Kingdom; Gilbert Glaser, North America; E. Graeme Robertson, Australia; and Oscar Trelles, Latin America. Throughout, the JNS has been the official bulletin of the WFN, containing transactions and minutes of all committee and council meetings. For example, the first JNS issue includes records of the World Congress of Neurology, organized by Seitelberger and Tschabitscher, in Vienna, June 1963. During my Editorship, Michael Swash has done great service shepherding supplements which have become a means for presenting specialized topics in depth without reducing the pages of the journal. Moreover, from among our 22 000 members from more than 72 nations, I have endeavored to appoint Associate Editors who are broadly representative, particularly countries which are entering the academic mainstream of practice and research. I have used
their skills as peer reviewers and have added case reports for our practitioner members who have a wealth of patient knowledge to contribute for our common good. Other changes have been designed to make the JNS even more interesting and informative. Two of my favorites are tropical neurology and a yearly clinical update issue, the first of which is this one edited by Peter Donofrio. In this issue, we list the names of anonymous reviewers who ensure the quality of our publication. I thank them all for their efforts on behalf of clinical and basic neuroscience research. I am proud to remind readers that our pages have been graced by two Nobel Laureates, Rita Levi-Montalcini and Sir John Vane. Successor editors must decide where neurologists of the future will obtain new information – print or electronic media – areas where Elsevier is in the forefront. For example, Elsevier has changed to electronic submissions and publishing which has had a few problems in its inception but which is running smoothly now. We thank Tatjana Fischer-Driessen for overseeing this transition and for her always encouraging attitude and many helpful suggestions. Unfortunately, Mr Ralph Hicks, who began as Editorial Assistant became disabled with chronic illness and retired. We wish him well. I congratulate Ms Kelley Needham who, from the beginning of my editorship, has been in charge of accessing, processing, and communicating with authors and reviewers, always promptly, cheerfully, and unfailingly accurate. I pass my duties to Robert Lisak, Editor-Elect, remembering always that ours is not only a responsibility but an honor and a trust. I am sure that he will improve the journal as each editor has done in the past. At this changing of the editorship, we are blessed by having contributions from each of our Editors, including nonagenarian Macdonald Critchley. Dr Critchley, I join the entire WFN membership in saluting you and your wife, Eileen; we hope that both of you will continue your active relationship with the WFN for years to come.
1
Sadly Dr Critchley recently died. His obituary will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.
0022-510X / 98 / $19.00 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII S0022-510X( 97 )00281-5
James F. Toole, M.D.