These facts being appreciated, the true work of the pediatric journal is rendered clear. It is the medium of communication between the observer and the practitioner. By observer is not meant simply the laboratory worker and the pathologist, but it includes the physician of the hospital and dispensary. It is not limited even to these, for we should not fail to appreciate the invaluable experiences gained by the general physician. To him we allot ample space in these pages and urge more frequent publication of the knowledge which he gains in his daily contact with disease. On the whole, however, it must be admitted that the most important and substantial advances in knowledge result from the researches of special workers. The wisely conducted medical journal, will be, therefore, in large degree, the medium of communication between such special workers and that great body of men who do the practical work of the profession.
As the department of pediatrics cannot be restricted to a few consultants in large cities or teachers in medical colleges, so the pediatric journal cannot be limited in its scope. While its best contributors are drawn largely from the ranks of the true specialists, the man to whom it should prove of the greatest actual value is the general practitioner, to whom the diseases of children are of such vital importance. The true aim of such a journal should be the education of the profession at large in the important department which it represents. It should constantly strive to place the knowledge which is being continually accumulated by skilled observers, in such forms as to be most available for practical use. It has been the aim of the Archives throughout its whole history to attain this end, and no departure will be made from this policy.