Farewell Howard

Howard Bauchner was Editor-in-chief of Archives for 8 years, and his departure should not be allowed to pass without a few words of tribute. Although initially some eyebrows were raised at the appointment of an American paediatrician to edit a British journal, his tenure proved an unqualified success. The circulation and the impact factor have both improved at a time when many journals are struggling, the quantity and quality of what we publish has increased, and many new features, such as Education and Practice and Drug Therapy, have been incorporated.1 His appointment as Editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association is a tribute both to his own skills and a credit to our specialty: few paediatricians hold top jobs in medical publishing. I will be occupying the Editor's chair on a temporary basis until a substantive appointment is made. My fellow associate editors will contribute to Atoms on …