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Tenth anniversary of the journal of electrocardiology
J. ELECTROCARDIOLOGY 11 (1), 1978, 1-2
Editorial Tenth Anniversary of the Journal of Electrocardiology This year, 1978, marks the tenth anniversary of the Journal of Electrocardiology. It provides me as the Founder and Editor a good occasion to report the progress we have made in the first decade. We believed prior to the publication of the first issue in 1968, and we still believe, that quality is always preferable to quantity. Electrocardiology could be considered as a subspecialty of cardiology, and this in turn is a subspecialty of internal medicine. A publication devoted to electrocardiology will necessarily be limited in frequency of issue and n u m b e r of pages. We promised to so limit the Journal and have kept our promise by improving the quality of accepted manuscripts without increasing the quantity. As the number of manuscripts submitted h a s i n c r e a s e d s t e a d i l y over the years, so has the work load, not only for those of us at the editorial office of the Journal, b u t for members of the Editorial Board and for authors as well. Editorial comments now are more often written in great detail. Re-review, re-revision, r e - s u b m i t t a n c e and reconsideration have become frequent rather than exceptional. We h a v e been amply rewarded, indeed, most honored, for our extra work. In 1976, after a careful survey, the American College of Physicians recommended the Journal of Electrocardiology as the first of five selected publications for internists interested in indepth study of electrocardiography. Furthermore, the Journal of Electrocardiology was recommended, along with other selected publications, for internists with general interest in electrocardiography, as well as for those specializing in this area. The tenure of the members of our Editorial Board is long. Thus, the tenth anniversary of this publication also marks the tenth anniversary of truly fine service by the majority of the members. We have kept the Board open and current by replacing, from time to time, those members who had been consulted most frequently with new members of equal expertise. During the past decade our Editorial Board, and the scientific community as a whole, has suffered the loss of several distinguished electrocardiologists: S. Bellet, A. Grishman, H.H. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked ~'advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. w solely to indicate this fact.
Hecht, G.R. Herrmann, A. Master, D. Scherf and E. Simonson. All of these devoted men had contributed significantly to the Journal of Electrocardiology. As examples, the invaluable editorial comments by Master on exercise ECG, Scherf on complex arrhythmias, and Hecht on cardiac electrophysiology will always remain in our mind, and in the minds of many contributors, as well. We believe that we have achieved a balanced presentation of the electrical activities of the heart in the areas of electrocardiog r a p h y , v e c t o r c a r d i o g r a p h y , c a r d i a c electrophysiology and biophysics, complex arrhythmias, computerized ECG, ECG and VCG i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n , cardiac pacing and case studies. Articles in the last two areas are contained in the Pacing and Case Study Sections. The former, edited by H.D. Friedberg, has featured brief, practical articles highly appreciated by the medical profession and manufacturing companies alike. The latter, previously edited by J. Karliner, now is the domain of our Assistant Editor, M.M. LeWinter. His meticulous approach to clinical cases has earned him a reputation as a r reviewer." He labors tirelessly with authors to improve their papers, both scientifically and stylistically. Without exception, each p u b l i s h e d case is original and e x t r e m e l y stimulating. Given the opportunity to conduct a ~journal club" in one of the countless hospitals or medical centers in this country or abroad, we definitely would include LeWinter's selected cases for discussion and teaching. Many recent issues of the Journal have featured timely editorials solicited by S.S. Barold. In addition to citing the fine work of those mentioned above, we wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance of our Associate Editors, H.D. Friedberg, E. Lepeschkin and L. WerkS; all m e m b e r s of our Editorial Board; and, finally, our guest reviewers. The persistence of the Co-Founder and Associate Editor of the Journal, E. Lepeschkin, as well as the recommendations of a reviewing board, resulted in the publication in 1976 of a supplement consisting of four papers on magnetocardiography by D. Cohen and coworkers at the M a s s a c h u s e t t s Institute of Technology. In Lepeschkin's opinion, their work is scientifically meritorious and of potential clinical importance. We fully agree with this assessment. As another noninvasive diagnostic tool for the study of cardiac electrical activities, magnetocardiography's usefulness and limitations must be further explored
2
in the coming years. The International Congress on Electrocardiology was first organized in 1974, during our sixth anniversary. The Congress and this p u b l i c a t i o n , we firmly believe, are complementary to each other and very important in the diffusion of scientific knowledge and progress in both clinical and experimental electrocardiology. Prior to 1974 the Congress was held for two years as the International Symposium on Electrocardiology and the Int e r n a t i o n a l S y m p o s i u m on Vectorcardiography. The latter was founded in 1959 by H. Kowarzyk: Thus, in a historic sense, vectorc a r d i o g r a p h y was the f o r e r u n n e r of electrocardiology. We are well pleased with the increasing clinical application of vectorcardiography in the diagnosis of normal and pathological electrical activities of the heart. During the last decade a large body of useful data has been accumulated in' various hospitals and medical centers. The overwhelming majority of the researchers has used the Frank spatial lead system. We might mention as a representative s a m p l e t h e s t u d i e s of A. B e n c h i m o l a n d associates. During the 1950's and 60's, biophysically founded spatial lead systems were developed. Not being familiar with developments in this field in the U.S.S.R. and her allied countries, we cannot assess them. In the western hemisphere, the representative spatial lead systems were developed by H.C. Burger, E. Frank, R. McFee, C.V. Nelson, O.H. Schmitt and Z. Z. Zao. Biophysical concepts, in most cases, and model approach and electrode placement, as a rule, were different with each spatial lead system developed. Because of the biophysical soundness of the systems, they are more int e r c h a n g e a b l e than the empirical s y s t e m s used previously; but because of the individual anatomical and physiopathological variations of the h u m a n body, these lead systems are interchangeable only in a limited sense. Nevertheless, the large body of useful data obtained with the Frank lead system may, to a certain extent, find application to vectorcardiograms recorded with other biophysi-
ZAO
cally founded lead systems, which m a y be found individually to be more useful than the Frank lead system in the diagnosis of certain abnormalities. It is conceivable that one m a y find a given lead system to be more practical in clinical application a n d p e r h a p s m o r e highly reproducible than others. Therefore, comparison of vectorcardiograms recorded with the aforementioned spatial lead systems and with any other systems that may be developed in the future appears to be a fertile field for clinical investigations of vectorcardiography in coming years. In 1977 the Western Publications Association of the fourteen western states presented the Journal of Electrocardiology with a Maggie Award, acclaiming it among the best of medical magazines. We are truly honored, especially as our publication is devoted exclusively to a subspecialty in medicine and has a r e l a t i v e l y small circulation. The j u d g i n g panels, comprised of representatives of the p u b l i s h i n g industry, carefully considered both the scientific contents and the physical a p p e a r a n c e of the J o u r n a l . L.D. B r a s s of Boyer & Brass, Inc., is responsible for typesetting and graphic arts for the Journal, R. H u t t of Arts and Crafts Press for printing, and D.A. H a m p t o n , A s s i s t a n t to t h e E d i t o r , for coordinating. Founded in 1968 as a non-profit organization, Research in Electrocardiology, Inc., publisher of the Journal of Electrocardiology, has a second major purpose: to engage in fundamental studies of the electrical activities of the heart. Its Division of Research, under provisions of the IRS code of the U.S. Department of Interior, accepts contributions, bequests, legacies, transfers or gifts, all of which are tax deductible. Let us enter the second decade of our existence with even greater confidence, closer to the conquest of heart disease, the number-one killer in civilized societies, through research, application, and diffusion of the findings of electrocardiology.
Zang Z. Zao, M.D. Editor-in-Chief
J. ELECTROCARDIOLOGY, VOL. 11, NO. 1, 1978
Editorial Tenth Anniversary of the Journal of Electrocardiology This year, 1978, marks the tenth anniversary of the Journal of Electrocardiology. It provides me as the Founder and Editor a good occasion to report the progress we have made in the first decade. We believed prior to the publication of the first issue in 1968, and we still believe, that quality is always preferable to quantity. Electrocardiology could be considered as a subspecialty of cardiology, and this in turn is a subspecialty of internal medicine. A publication devoted to electrocardiology will necessarily be limited in frequency of issue and n u m b e r of pages. We promised to so limit the Journal and have kept our promise by improving the quality of accepted manuscripts without increasing the quantity. As the number of manuscripts submitted h a s i n c r e a s e d s t e a d i l y over the years, so has the work load, not only for those of us at the editorial office of the Journal, b u t for members of the Editorial Board and for authors as well. Editorial comments now are more often written in great detail. Re-review, re-revision, r e - s u b m i t t a n c e and reconsideration have become frequent rather than exceptional. We h a v e been amply rewarded, indeed, most honored, for our extra work. In 1976, after a careful survey, the American College of Physicians recommended the Journal of Electrocardiology as the first of five selected publications for internists interested in indepth study of electrocardiography. Furthermore, the Journal of Electrocardiology was recommended, along with other selected publications, for internists with general interest in electrocardiography, as well as for those specializing in this area. The tenure of the members of our Editorial Board is long. Thus, the tenth anniversary of this publication also marks the tenth anniversary of truly fine service by the majority of the members. We have kept the Board open and current by replacing, from time to time, those members who had been consulted most frequently with new members of equal expertise. During the past decade our Editorial Board, and the scientific community as a whole, has suffered the loss of several distinguished electrocardiologists: S. Bellet, A. Grishman, H.H. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked ~'advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. w solely to indicate this fact.
Hecht, G.R. Herrmann, A. Master, D. Scherf and E. Simonson. All of these devoted men had contributed significantly to the Journal of Electrocardiology. As examples, the invaluable editorial comments by Master on exercise ECG, Scherf on complex arrhythmias, and Hecht on cardiac electrophysiology will always remain in our mind, and in the minds of many contributors, as well. We believe that we have achieved a balanced presentation of the electrical activities of the heart in the areas of electrocardiog r a p h y , v e c t o r c a r d i o g r a p h y , c a r d i a c electrophysiology and biophysics, complex arrhythmias, computerized ECG, ECG and VCG i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n , cardiac pacing and case studies. Articles in the last two areas are contained in the Pacing and Case Study Sections. The former, edited by H.D. Friedberg, has featured brief, practical articles highly appreciated by the medical profession and manufacturing companies alike. The latter, previously edited by J. Karliner, now is the domain of our Assistant Editor, M.M. LeWinter. His meticulous approach to clinical cases has earned him a reputation as a r reviewer." He labors tirelessly with authors to improve their papers, both scientifically and stylistically. Without exception, each p u b l i s h e d case is original and e x t r e m e l y stimulating. Given the opportunity to conduct a ~journal club" in one of the countless hospitals or medical centers in this country or abroad, we definitely would include LeWinter's selected cases for discussion and teaching. Many recent issues of the Journal have featured timely editorials solicited by S.S. Barold. In addition to citing the fine work of those mentioned above, we wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance of our Associate Editors, H.D. Friedberg, E. Lepeschkin and L. WerkS; all m e m b e r s of our Editorial Board; and, finally, our guest reviewers. The persistence of the Co-Founder and Associate Editor of the Journal, E. Lepeschkin, as well as the recommendations of a reviewing board, resulted in the publication in 1976 of a supplement consisting of four papers on magnetocardiography by D. Cohen and coworkers at the M a s s a c h u s e t t s Institute of Technology. In Lepeschkin's opinion, their work is scientifically meritorious and of potential clinical importance. We fully agree with this assessment. As another noninvasive diagnostic tool for the study of cardiac electrical activities, magnetocardiography's usefulness and limitations must be further explored
2
in the coming years. The International Congress on Electrocardiology was first organized in 1974, during our sixth anniversary. The Congress and this p u b l i c a t i o n , we firmly believe, are complementary to each other and very important in the diffusion of scientific knowledge and progress in both clinical and experimental electrocardiology. Prior to 1974 the Congress was held for two years as the International Symposium on Electrocardiology and the Int e r n a t i o n a l S y m p o s i u m on Vectorcardiography. The latter was founded in 1959 by H. Kowarzyk: Thus, in a historic sense, vectorc a r d i o g r a p h y was the f o r e r u n n e r of electrocardiology. We are well pleased with the increasing clinical application of vectorcardiography in the diagnosis of normal and pathological electrical activities of the heart. During the last decade a large body of useful data has been accumulated in' various hospitals and medical centers. The overwhelming majority of the researchers has used the Frank spatial lead system. We might mention as a representative s a m p l e t h e s t u d i e s of A. B e n c h i m o l a n d associates. During the 1950's and 60's, biophysically founded spatial lead systems were developed. Not being familiar with developments in this field in the U.S.S.R. and her allied countries, we cannot assess them. In the western hemisphere, the representative spatial lead systems were developed by H.C. Burger, E. Frank, R. McFee, C.V. Nelson, O.H. Schmitt and Z. Z. Zao. Biophysical concepts, in most cases, and model approach and electrode placement, as a rule, were different with each spatial lead system developed. Because of the biophysical soundness of the systems, they are more int e r c h a n g e a b l e than the empirical s y s t e m s used previously; but because of the individual anatomical and physiopathological variations of the h u m a n body, these lead systems are interchangeable only in a limited sense. Nevertheless, the large body of useful data obtained with the Frank lead system may, to a certain extent, find application to vectorcardiograms recorded with other biophysi-
ZAO
cally founded lead systems, which m a y be found individually to be more useful than the Frank lead system in the diagnosis of certain abnormalities. It is conceivable that one m a y find a given lead system to be more practical in clinical application a n d p e r h a p s m o r e highly reproducible than others. Therefore, comparison of vectorcardiograms recorded with the aforementioned spatial lead systems and with any other systems that may be developed in the future appears to be a fertile field for clinical investigations of vectorcardiography in coming years. In 1977 the Western Publications Association of the fourteen western states presented the Journal of Electrocardiology with a Maggie Award, acclaiming it among the best of medical magazines. We are truly honored, especially as our publication is devoted exclusively to a subspecialty in medicine and has a r e l a t i v e l y small circulation. The j u d g i n g panels, comprised of representatives of the p u b l i s h i n g industry, carefully considered both the scientific contents and the physical a p p e a r a n c e of the J o u r n a l . L.D. B r a s s of Boyer & Brass, Inc., is responsible for typesetting and graphic arts for the Journal, R. H u t t of Arts and Crafts Press for printing, and D.A. H a m p t o n , A s s i s t a n t to t h e E d i t o r , for coordinating. Founded in 1968 as a non-profit organization, Research in Electrocardiology, Inc., publisher of the Journal of Electrocardiology, has a second major purpose: to engage in fundamental studies of the electrical activities of the heart. Its Division of Research, under provisions of the IRS code of the U.S. Department of Interior, accepts contributions, bequests, legacies, transfers or gifts, all of which are tax deductible. Let us enter the second decade of our existence with even greater confidence, closer to the conquest of heart disease, the number-one killer in civilized societies, through research, application, and diffusion of the findings of electrocardiology.
Zang Z. Zao, M.D. Editor-in-Chief
J. ELECTROCARDIOLOGY, VOL. 11, NO. 1, 1978