Our first decade

3

Editorials ence, it has immensely accelerated the tempo and increased the range and content of education. By providing the best possible medium for the transmission of new information, the Journal has helped to educate this generation of cardiovascular physicians and to propel them into clearer, more informed thinking. Labor and wisdom have nourished the Journal to its present position of importance and respect among organs of medical communication. The fullest measure of these vital ingredients for growth and respect has been provided by Dr. Sirnon Dack, Editor-in-Chief. Without diminishing the assistance so capably and graciously rendered by the editorial staff and consultants, Dr. Dack is the architect of the Journal’s development and success. He has molded structured format and championed policy, change with remarkable taste and judgment for quality. He has administered a myriad of detail with patience, discretion and care. Only exceptional men would have been equal to the task when the Journal was first established; few,

if any, could have scored the same happy mark. Authors and readers alike are indebted to Ralph W. Hench, Jr., publisher, for the exceptional quality of the Journal. There is sensual pleasure in reading a well-tailored, accurately machined publication. The Journal provides such enjoyment, and Mr. Hench is clearly responsible. The greatest gift of the written word is education. The College would not be fulfilling its vibrant promise if the Journal had not been established and molded in the image of excelThis issue marks a 10 year birthday. lence. The vigor, surge, imagination and courage of a wholesome youth abounds in its form and contents. There is substantial reason to be proud. The Board of Trustees of the College, its officers and the membership at large are truly grateful.

WILLIAM LIKCIFF,M.D. President American College of Cardiology

Our First Decade

T

HERE never has been, nor will there ever be, a successful journal which fails to fill a need. Ten years ago a group of extremely dedicated men and women recognized a need for a new journal for those of the medical profession who were concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases-for saving and prolonging the lives of their fellow men. Today, ten years later, although “heart disease” still ranks highest as a cause of death, never before in the history of mankind has so much been learned about so vital a subject in so brief a span of time. We at The American Journal of Cardiology are proud that we have made available to so many of the profession much of what has been and is being learned about cardiac care. Our stated editorial purpose is “the practical, clinical approach to the past, present and future of cardiology.” In filling this assignment, the Journal has found an ever-growing audience of involved readers; and it is our hope that we will be able VOIUME21,JANUARY1968

to communicate and augment the total store of knowledge for the increasing number in the profession interested in this specialty. Will you join me in acknowledging a great debt of gratitude to those who first envisioned the Journal and brought it into being; to The American College of Cardiology, for whom it is the official spokesman; to those who make the pharmaceuticals and equipment that provide you with the means to effect your cures; to those who serve so faithfully on its Editorial Board and, above all, to Dr. Simon Dack, the guiding spirit of the Journal over its ten year life span. It is fitting that today, as we send this Tenth Anniversary Issue to press, we rededicate ourselves to the task of bringing to you Outstanding literature in the field of cardiology and of ever more diligently aiding you in your effort to save human life. RALPH W. HITNCH, JR. Publisher