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Hail and farewell
Editor's Column HAIL AND FAREWELL I T H this issue the E d i t o r puts his pencil and closes his desk. Looking back over the twentyseven years of Editorship it has been a life with occasional periods of worry, stress, and dissatisfaction, b u t with never a moment of boredom.
W aside
O u r thoughts have been t u r n i n g back to the b i r t h of the JOURNAL in _1932, when we were inveigled into taking on an u n w a n t e d task. The A c a d e m y of Pediatrics was in its inf a n c y with a few h u n d r e d members, impecunious, and regarded with skepticism by m a n y pediatricians. I t was in fact being kept alive by the devoted n u r s i n g of one m a n - - C l i f f G r u l e e - aided by a relatively small group who had been responsible for its formation. The " A m e r i c a n B o a r d , " in which the Editor-to-be was deeply involved, was in the midst of labor pains. This was the pediatric setting. A t one of those " b u l l sessions" back in _1931, discussing the welfare of the medical world a n d of pediatrics in particular, the Editor-to-be expressed the opinion t h a t w h a t was needed for the A c a d e m y to advance the purposes for which it was founded was some method of intercommunication among the membership, as an Academy-sponsored pediatric journal. There was
general agreement and it was decided to explore the idea. The exploration was r a t h e r disheartening. The count r y at t h a t time was in a period of deep d e p r e s s i o n - - n o t a simple "recess i o n " as at present. A n u m b e r of medical publishers were approached with the idea, and all but one held up their hands with horror at the mere thought of starting a new medical journal u n d e r existing economic conditions. The lone exception was C. V. Mosby, Sr., of St. Louis. "Doe" Mosby, as he was known to m a n y of us, was an optimist with an u n c a n n y vision. H e believed t h a t pediatrics was a coming field, and t h a t sooner or later a pediatric journal sponsored by the A c a d e m y would be a success. He finally proposed to assume all financial responsibility for a new journal, provided the A c a d e m y would assume complete medical r e s p o n s i b i l i t y - - E d i t o r , Editorial Board, material for publication, e t c . - - a n d the entire membership subscribe to the journal at a club rate to be collected by the Academy. The A c a d e m y decided to accept the offer and added the subscription to the dues of each member. The possibility or thought of a n y profits ever rising from such a j o u r n a l never entered our minds. W h a t we were solely interested in was to establish a journal to
762
r•
J O U R N A L OF PEDIATRICS
advance pediatrics a n d the purposes for which the A c a d e m y was founded. A conversation at t h a t tiIae comes to mind in which m y statement was to the effect that a circulation of 3,000 might possibly be reached at some time in the dim future. The opinion of " D o e " that it might reach 5,000 sounded like a delusion of grandeur. l i e did not live to see it reach 10,000. I n c i d e n t a l l y while on the subject, the Mosby Company had to make u p a deficit for the first halLdozen years, and then for the next few years broke even on the venture. No one could foresee at that time the amazing development of pediatrics that was in the making' nor the tremendous development of commercial products for i n f a n t and child care t h a t led to pediatric journals becoming highly desirable advertising' media. The two together have made pediatric journals financially profitable. No more could we foresee the tremendous growth of the Academy that would take place, tbe i m p o r t a n t position it would come to occupy, and the extent of its interests and activities. Then the Academy had to get down to " b r a s s t a c k s " to fulfill its p a r t of the contract. The opinion was that in these early years the E d i t o r should be someone f r o m St. Louis in order to simplify the inevitable conferences between the Academy and publisher t h a t would be necessary in launching the new journal. This was the reason t h a t led to the retiring E d i t o r assuming the task. There was strenuous objection on his p a r t for a n u m b e r of reasons. Not only was there no interest in editorial work together with a complete lack of preparation, but there were a
n u m b e r of pediatric activities outside of practice and teaching in which he was interested and busy. Pressure was a p p l i e d - - " your idea,' . . . . d u t y to tlle A c a d e m y , " and t h a t sort of t h i n g - a n d so reluctantly an agreement was made to take on the Editorship f o r t w o y e a r s to get the journal started, provided H u g h McCulloch would join with him and take over certain p a r t s of the work and responsibility. MeCulloch agreed, and so in J a n u a r y of 1932 the editorial work got underway, with the first issue a p p e a r i n g in J u l y of that year. F o r one reason or another the " c h a l l e n g e " of the Editorship never seemed to come to an end, and the years stretched on and on. Much could be written about these twenty-seven years as they were filled with incident, but it is w a t e r over the dam. I n 1946 the A c a d e m y decided to withdraw its sponsorship of the JOURNAL and start its own pediatric journal. I t was a decision based entirely on financial considerations. The E d i t o r ' s decision to decline the request of the Academy to take on the Editorship of the new journal was a difficult one to make. Two reasons chiefly influenced the decision. One was the reluctance to s t a r t a new journal with a new publisher and again go through the headaches of those early years when the JOURNAL was being launched. The second was more involved. I n the early years when the JOURNAL was young and struggling for existence, the entire m a n a g e m e n t was left to the Editor and Editorial Board. As it became successful and prosperous, and as the Academy and circulation of the JOTSR~AL increased in size, the Executive Board of the A c a d e m y began to
EDYs
'S C O L U M N
take an interest, with an increasing tendency to feel it was their function to determine the editorial policies of the JOURNAL to be followed by the E d i t o r and Editorial Board. The Editor, being' by temperament rather independent in his thinking and actions, as his friends have joshed him many times, was finding it difficult and at times irritating to t r y and serve two nmsters--the two B o a r d s - with at times quite divergent ideas as to EditoriM policies. The decision to continue on with the Editorship of tile JOURNAL, from which he had resigned at that time along with the rest of the Academyappointed Editorial Board, was due to a steadily growing" feeling t h a t there was and always would be need for independent medical journals which did not have to follow policies dietared by the g o v e r n i n g Board of a medical society or organization, and thus are open to a free discussion of all sides of problems and topics of medical importance and interest. Too often the dictated policies reflected a political background or bias. Pages could be written, citing incidents to support this viewpoint. In fact, one of the principal reasons for the formation of the Academy was to provide a forum for the expression of independent viewpoints regarding pediatric matters, following the passing of a rule in 1922 by the governing body of the A. M. A. prohibiting the Sections from discussing or passing resolutions relating to their own special fields of practice and knowledge, and restricting their work to p u r e l y scientific discussion. Freedom of expression and the opportunity to present differing view-
763
points are essential to sound progress. I t was for this reason the E d i t o r decided to continue with the Editorship of the JOURNAL as an independent journal, with an Editorial Board in complete control of the editorial policies. Never once in the twenty-seven years have the Publishers attempted to influence the Editor or Editorial Board in any way. They have cooperated fully with every request and decision as to policy made by the Board. It has been a most h a p p y relationship. Some three years ago the E d i t o r requested the Editorial Board to select an E d i t o r to succeed him. He would soon reach the age of 75 and was retiring from practice. The time had been reached when the tasks and responsibilities of the Editorship should be taken over by a younger man. He knows of no one more fitted to take over than the selection of the Board. " B i l l " Nelson is so well known to the pediatricians that he needs no introduction or curriculum vitae. There is, incidentally, great personal satisfaction after these twenty-seven years in knowing the Editorship is in such capable hands. The retiring Editor, in saying " F a r e w e l l , " can only express his indebtedness to the pediatricians in all parts of the world for the fine and h a p p y relationships he has had with them over the years. I t is, however, to his pediatric colleagues and friends who have served on the Editorial Board during his twenty-seven years of Editorship that he is most indebted. Without their constant and ever-ready help and advice it would have been an impossible task. B. S. V.
W aside
O u r thoughts have been t u r n i n g back to the b i r t h of the JOURNAL in _1932, when we were inveigled into taking on an u n w a n t e d task. The A c a d e m y of Pediatrics was in its inf a n c y with a few h u n d r e d members, impecunious, and regarded with skepticism by m a n y pediatricians. I t was in fact being kept alive by the devoted n u r s i n g of one m a n - - C l i f f G r u l e e - aided by a relatively small group who had been responsible for its formation. The " A m e r i c a n B o a r d , " in which the Editor-to-be was deeply involved, was in the midst of labor pains. This was the pediatric setting. A t one of those " b u l l sessions" back in _1931, discussing the welfare of the medical world a n d of pediatrics in particular, the Editor-to-be expressed the opinion t h a t w h a t was needed for the A c a d e m y to advance the purposes for which it was founded was some method of intercommunication among the membership, as an Academy-sponsored pediatric journal. There was
general agreement and it was decided to explore the idea. The exploration was r a t h e r disheartening. The count r y at t h a t time was in a period of deep d e p r e s s i o n - - n o t a simple "recess i o n " as at present. A n u m b e r of medical publishers were approached with the idea, and all but one held up their hands with horror at the mere thought of starting a new medical journal u n d e r existing economic conditions. The lone exception was C. V. Mosby, Sr., of St. Louis. "Doe" Mosby, as he was known to m a n y of us, was an optimist with an u n c a n n y vision. H e believed t h a t pediatrics was a coming field, and t h a t sooner or later a pediatric journal sponsored by the A c a d e m y would be a success. He finally proposed to assume all financial responsibility for a new journal, provided the A c a d e m y would assume complete medical r e s p o n s i b i l i t y - - E d i t o r , Editorial Board, material for publication, e t c . - - a n d the entire membership subscribe to the journal at a club rate to be collected by the Academy. The A c a d e m y decided to accept the offer and added the subscription to the dues of each member. The possibility or thought of a n y profits ever rising from such a j o u r n a l never entered our minds. W h a t we were solely interested in was to establish a journal to
762
r•
J O U R N A L OF PEDIATRICS
advance pediatrics a n d the purposes for which the A c a d e m y was founded. A conversation at t h a t tiIae comes to mind in which m y statement was to the effect that a circulation of 3,000 might possibly be reached at some time in the dim future. The opinion of " D o e " that it might reach 5,000 sounded like a delusion of grandeur. l i e did not live to see it reach 10,000. I n c i d e n t a l l y while on the subject, the Mosby Company had to make u p a deficit for the first halLdozen years, and then for the next few years broke even on the venture. No one could foresee at that time the amazing development of pediatrics that was in the making' nor the tremendous development of commercial products for i n f a n t and child care t h a t led to pediatric journals becoming highly desirable advertising' media. The two together have made pediatric journals financially profitable. No more could we foresee the tremendous growth of the Academy that would take place, tbe i m p o r t a n t position it would come to occupy, and the extent of its interests and activities. Then the Academy had to get down to " b r a s s t a c k s " to fulfill its p a r t of the contract. The opinion was that in these early years the E d i t o r should be someone f r o m St. Louis in order to simplify the inevitable conferences between the Academy and publisher t h a t would be necessary in launching the new journal. This was the reason t h a t led to the retiring E d i t o r assuming the task. There was strenuous objection on his p a r t for a n u m b e r of reasons. Not only was there no interest in editorial work together with a complete lack of preparation, but there were a
n u m b e r of pediatric activities outside of practice and teaching in which he was interested and busy. Pressure was a p p l i e d - - " your idea,' . . . . d u t y to tlle A c a d e m y , " and t h a t sort of t h i n g - a n d so reluctantly an agreement was made to take on the Editorship f o r t w o y e a r s to get the journal started, provided H u g h McCulloch would join with him and take over certain p a r t s of the work and responsibility. MeCulloch agreed, and so in J a n u a r y of 1932 the editorial work got underway, with the first issue a p p e a r i n g in J u l y of that year. F o r one reason or another the " c h a l l e n g e " of the Editorship never seemed to come to an end, and the years stretched on and on. Much could be written about these twenty-seven years as they were filled with incident, but it is w a t e r over the dam. I n 1946 the A c a d e m y decided to withdraw its sponsorship of the JOURNAL and start its own pediatric journal. I t was a decision based entirely on financial considerations. The E d i t o r ' s decision to decline the request of the Academy to take on the Editorship of the new journal was a difficult one to make. Two reasons chiefly influenced the decision. One was the reluctance to s t a r t a new journal with a new publisher and again go through the headaches of those early years when the JOURNAL was being launched. The second was more involved. I n the early years when the JOURNAL was young and struggling for existence, the entire m a n a g e m e n t was left to the Editor and Editorial Board. As it became successful and prosperous, and as the Academy and circulation of the JOTSR~AL increased in size, the Executive Board of the A c a d e m y began to
EDYs
'S C O L U M N
take an interest, with an increasing tendency to feel it was their function to determine the editorial policies of the JOURNAL to be followed by the E d i t o r and Editorial Board. The Editor, being' by temperament rather independent in his thinking and actions, as his friends have joshed him many times, was finding it difficult and at times irritating to t r y and serve two nmsters--the two B o a r d s - with at times quite divergent ideas as to EditoriM policies. The decision to continue on with the Editorship of tile JOURNAL, from which he had resigned at that time along with the rest of the Academyappointed Editorial Board, was due to a steadily growing" feeling t h a t there was and always would be need for independent medical journals which did not have to follow policies dietared by the g o v e r n i n g Board of a medical society or organization, and thus are open to a free discussion of all sides of problems and topics of medical importance and interest. Too often the dictated policies reflected a political background or bias. Pages could be written, citing incidents to support this viewpoint. In fact, one of the principal reasons for the formation of the Academy was to provide a forum for the expression of independent viewpoints regarding pediatric matters, following the passing of a rule in 1922 by the governing body of the A. M. A. prohibiting the Sections from discussing or passing resolutions relating to their own special fields of practice and knowledge, and restricting their work to p u r e l y scientific discussion. Freedom of expression and the opportunity to present differing view-
763
points are essential to sound progress. I t was for this reason the E d i t o r decided to continue with the Editorship of the JOURNAL as an independent journal, with an Editorial Board in complete control of the editorial policies. Never once in the twenty-seven years have the Publishers attempted to influence the Editor or Editorial Board in any way. They have cooperated fully with every request and decision as to policy made by the Board. It has been a most h a p p y relationship. Some three years ago the E d i t o r requested the Editorial Board to select an E d i t o r to succeed him. He would soon reach the age of 75 and was retiring from practice. The time had been reached when the tasks and responsibilities of the Editorship should be taken over by a younger man. He knows of no one more fitted to take over than the selection of the Board. " B i l l " Nelson is so well known to the pediatricians that he needs no introduction or curriculum vitae. There is, incidentally, great personal satisfaction after these twenty-seven years in knowing the Editorship is in such capable hands. The retiring Editor, in saying " F a r e w e l l , " can only express his indebtedness to the pediatricians in all parts of the world for the fine and h a p p y relationships he has had with them over the years. I t is, however, to his pediatric colleagues and friends who have served on the Editorial Board during his twenty-seven years of Editorship that he is most indebted. Without their constant and ever-ready help and advice it would have been an impossible task. B. S. V.