Building civilization starts from childhood.

In his introductory presentation to the Forth Conference of the Sudan Association of Paediatricians (SAP) [1], which was held in Port Sudan (15th-16th February 1975), and in the President Speech (in Arabic) [2], the late Professor Mahmoud Mohamed Hassan [3] emphasized that investment on child welfare is rewarded by prosperity of a nation, as has been acknowledged and implemented by Developed Countries who achieved on the ladder of civilization, with high economic growth and national incomes. The Conference was attended by the Sudan Minister of Health and pediatricians from Egypt and the United Kingdom including Professor John Forfar [4] and Professor David Morley [5], both inspired generations of pediatricians worldwide. Attending also was Dr E. A. Shinebourne [6,7], the renown pediatric cardiologist and mentor of Professor Abdelmoneim Elseed, who pioneered pediatric cardiology in Sudan and Saudi Arabia [8]. Professor Elseed became the President of SAP and Editor-inChief of the Sudanese Journal of Paediatrics (SJP). The Review Article of this issue follows the main theme that building civilization starts from childhood. It highlights one of the greatest human triumphs against diseases, namely surfactant therapy used in the prevention and treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), a major cause of mortality and morbidity in newborns. It also reflects the milestones of its development. In a historic study by Professor Mohamed Ibrahim A. Omer [9,10], who pioneered Neonatology in Sudan and established the first neonatal unit at Khartoum Teaching Hospital, RDS accounted for 40.3% of the deaths during the year 1972 and the mortality in babies weighing less than 908 gm approached 100%. The first Original Article deals with perinatal mortality rate which is an important indicator of the level of health-care provided to the mother and her fetus, as well as the socio-economic status of the population. The article testified to the remarkable leap in health care witnessed by Saudi Arabia; evidenced by a corrected perinatal mortality rate over 15-year-period (1994-2008) of 11.9/1000, comparable to the North American and European rates. The Review Article and the first Original Article are linked to an article on Historic Perspective highlighting the contribution of the late Professor Salah Abdelrahman Ali Taha (1927-1988) who is one of the pioneers of paediatrics in Sudan and Saudi Arabia. His impact was remarkable both in Sudan, establishing child health services, and in Saudi Arabia in heading and laying the foundation for the