The "fourth part" of Pediatrics: 50 years of display advertising.

From the very beginning, advertising revenue was a major motivation to establish a journal owned by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a major focus of the board of directors. The first editor, Dr Hugh McCulloch, proclaimed that “Pediatrics will consist of four divisions; the fourth division is advertising.”2 Until the late 1970s, this was all display advertising or advertising prepared by advertising agencies in camera-ready format. Classified advertising was introduced later, but a discussion of this form of advertising is not included in this article. I examined a convenience sample of 50 years of display advertising in Pediatrics as well as AAP board minutes, committee reports, and other related documents. A brief questionnaire tapped the memories of a select group of 68 physicians and scientists in academic pediatrics and office-based pediatric practice, and those involved with the AAP, and assessed their reactions to advertising in Pediatrics.