The Company of Biologists

What is it famous for? It's not, really — but one of the journals it publishes, Development, is, if only for being one of the few high-profile journals that almost nobody complains about. How did it start? It was founded in 1925 by George Bidder, a sponge specialist who was also a shrewd businessman with leanings towards philanthropy. His wish to benefit mankind took him into some unusual enterprises, such as hotel management and secondhand boat dealing. Why did it start? The main purpose of the Company was to rescue the ailing British Journal of Experimental Biology, then only two years old but already on the brink of financial ruin. The Company bought the journal for £200, raising money by subscription among Bidder's biology-minded friends. The journal continued to run at a loss for two more years, finally turning around in 1928 with a profit of £3 8s 5d, or $5.00 at today's exchange rate. Why has Development become so successful? High standards for production (made possible by the Company's enthusiastic acceptance of desk-top publishing, and the fact that it runs its own printing press) have certainly helped, as did the name change and modernization of format. Still, J. Cell Sci. has essentially the same advantages but remains something of an also-ran. Much of the credit for Development's renaissance goes to Chris Wylie, Editor-in-Chief, for applying rigorous editorial standards and recruiting a top-notch team of associate editors. J. Cell Sci. may have a harder row to hoe as it has such effective, if little-loved, competition from journals such as Cell and the Journal of Cell Biology. Plans are afoot for both Development and J. Cell Sci. to be published twice each month, starting next year. Why does the organization have such an odd name? Although the Company sounds like a cross between a collection of Mafiosi and a mediaeval guild, it must have seemed to Bidder that the name explained his purpose — a company 'run by and for biologists' — very well. It is still run by a board of professional biologists who give their time free of charge to this essentially charitable organization. Where did the money for the printing presses come from? The journals, as a group, have been only very modestly profitable for the last 70 years. The financial security of the Company derives from the wizardry of its treasurer, eminent insect physiologist Simon Maddrell, who …