EDrFO R I A !,

FAREWELL TO AN ERA

The publication of this i,;sue of the #inn Journal of Pediatrk'x bring~ to a close long chapter covering a period of 46 years the history of paediatric iot,rnalism in the

jvntry. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics is pioneer, and like all pioneers, blazed a

i l l - i n this case for medical speciality triodicals in India. Besider~ being the first

~ciality journal in the country, its opearance made India the second Asian entry after Japan to have entered the fld of paediatric journalism.

Shortly after his return to India from ~st-graduate paediatric studies at the Pir- ;tet Kinderklinik in Vienna and the Univer- ty of Tubingen in Germany, the late Dr. C. Chaudhari founded the Indian Journal

[Peaiatrics, the first issue having appeared t October 1933 in Calcutta. The newly orn publication received the blessings of" minert medical personalities of that time, mong them being Professor Czerny of iermany, the father of paediatrics and Sir ;ilratan Sircar, one of t['te outstanding oedicai men of Calcutta in the early half f this century. Among other things Sir ;ilratan said: "An apology is hardly neces- ary to justify the introductien of a 0urnal of paediatrics at the present line. Infant mortality (at birth) in British India amounts to the appalling proportion ff 174.4 per 1000 live births. There

not a single children's hospital in ~alcutta and in the whole of India there are Italy four such hospitals. As regards t0urnals there is none in the subject in India. If the future of the nation really t~epends upon the wel/~.re of the child, it is

necessary that attempts should at once bc taken to impres~ upon the people and the profession the n~-ce~ity of providing for the protection and safety for the child in every possible way. And no means for this purpose can be successful unless it is based on the universal source of power-- 'Knowledge'. It i~ high time, therefore, that a journal should be started in Calcutta with the sole object of spreading thc scientific knowledge of this all important subject."

"Every journal is founded with the hope that it will fulfil the needs of the time. Great success has been achieved in the field of pacdiatrics during the last four decades :ts evidenced by a marked reduction in morbidity and mortality of children. If 1 may start this Jot~rnal on its way with a good wish, let me hope that it may successfully proceed along the ~ame path of progress and awaken the lasting interest of the profes- sion in paediatrics", '.'.as the ;ray Professor Czerny welcomed the publication.

With the good wishes of such people and the guidance and editorship of Dr. K.C. Chaudhuri, the Journal became inter- nationally known ~ithia a very short time and found itself on the shelves of the libraries of almost all the leading paediatric centres of the world. During the 46 exciting years of its uninterrupted existence, the Indian Journal of Pediatrics wimessed the birth and death of paediatric publications within as well as outside of the country. It has been and continues to be an active promoter of Indian paediatrics and has witnessed the slow, painful growth and

470 IHI)IAN JOUIIN^I. 01" Pi~.DI^TIIIC8 Vol. 46, No. 383

development of paediatric centres in India. Being unencumbered, and not under obli- gallon Io cater to the needs of olficialdom (the .Iournal is not the o|licial organ of a society), its columns have been always at the disposal of paediatric research workers and paediatricians in India who have had the assurance that their a,'ticles would get the priority they deserved.

Originally a quarterly publication, it became bimonthly in 1953, and in 1956, a monthly journal. After 46 years of un- interrupted publication, the Indian Journal o f Pediatrics comes under a new editorship from January 1980. Our present Editor, Dr. R.K. Chandra, now Associate Director and Professor of Nutritional Immunology, Fhe Clinical Research Centre, Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass, U.S.A., becomes the new Editor-in- chief. Dr. Chandra has been associated with the publication for more than seven- teen years and has done yeoman's service during this time. With his generous assis- tance and unalloyed devotion, the publication has managed to survive the m a n ) u p s and downs inherent in the publishing business. Under his brilliant ieadership and direction

we can look forward to a bright and eonf dent future for the Journal Dr. I.C, Ver,ni A~sistant Professor of Paediatrics, All lndi lnstitulc of Medical Sciences, New Delh becomes our New Editor+ an(I frown what already known ;Jbout his ability in editori matter., th: publication is in good handl Dr. Verma ha~ shown much interest in tit publication and with his unbounded eraerg and enthusiasm, together with the guidane and assistance of Dr. Chandra, aided by band of eminent pacdiatricians on tl~ editorial board, the Indian Journal a Pediatrics should soar to new heights.

We should like to take this oppor tunity to thank all the members of th Editorial Board for their support and help i various ways throughout the years and t bid them a fond farewell.

From January 1980, the Journal one

more becomes a bi-monthly publication, an| it is the hope of those concerned that witl this change, an improvement in quality an<[ quantity will be effected.

And now, it is au revoir to the old and bon voyage to the new.

AM^L^ CtlAUDH Ulll

Editor-in-Chin