Sixty-five years of the Journal Medical Archives.

t his year journal Medical Archives celebrates 65 years of continuing publishing. It was one of the oldest medical journals in former Yugoslavia (established in the year 1947). The first Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Archives was a academician Vladimir Cavka. That was a happy circumstance, because the professor Cavka at that time was one of the most famous world experts in ophthalmology. The high level of the journal Medical Archive issues from the very beginning, thanks to professor Cavka, was critical for inclusion in Index Medicus. It was a high award, which this journal carries even today. First Editorial board was consists of professors: Vladimir Cavka, Blagoje Kovacevic, Bogdan Zimonjic and Ibro Brkic (1947-1957), and that period was the golden years of Medical Archives. Articles were coming mostly from the clinics and institutes of the Faculty of medicine in Sarajevo, as well as by medical experts from the other cities in B&H (1). Also, Medical Archives accepted and published articles from other medical centers in former Yugoslavia. All this is clearly speaking about the great reputation of the Medical Archives in B&H and larger. In the last war (1992-1995), in the middle of the aggression on B&H, at the time the great scarcity, misery and poverty and severe threat to the lives of all of us, the journal showed his toughness, perseverance and indestructibility. As Editor-in-Chief, by myself and with help of some other professors and physicians in Sarajevo I tried to continue printing this important journal as “ window to the world” from sieged Sarajevo. It was one of the Sarajevo miracles Medical Archives spread out “the medical truth” from Sarajevo and under these conditions and circumstances continued publishing “wartime articles” in the journal which were very interesting of experiences of war medicine used without normal conditions. Publishing house AVICENA provided continuous publication of the journal during wartime. So the Medical Archives, despite everything, is still regularly published, and some copies of journal published in Sarajevo during wartime are sent to PubMed/Medline, who confirmed his regular rise despite war actions. We think that on this occasion we should thank to all the colleagues who were engaged in the Association of doctors and the publication of this journal, as well as those who give financial support. Special thanks belong to my predecessors, previous the Editorin-Chiefs, good, honorable and honest people who have led this journal and contributed to its reputation, and who today are no longer alive, except prof Mirko Grujic. We need to mention their names: Vladimir Cavka, Blagoje Kovacevic, Bogdan Zimonjic, Milos Aranicki, Jakob Gaon, Midhat Prcic, Seid Hukovic, Milorad Tomasevic, Irfan Zulic and Mirko Grujic. Four of them were academicians, one of them also the president of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of B&H Seid Hukovic. Today in the Medical Archives are published articles by all doctors from B&H, and not only outstanding teachers and researchers. Young doctors in our country have no other place to publish their work, but facing their journal and send the articles whose publication they require in the advancement of the profession or the choice of teaching and associate vocations. On Figure 1 is presented the list of published papers in Medical Archives (July 2011) it is impressive number of 3477 articles. So many academics and researches started their academic or scientific career with references from published articles in Medical Archives. They are now famous professors in B&H, also at universities in abroad.