MESSAGE FOR THE 50TH VOLUME
Re¯ection on the 50th volume of theKeio Journal of Medicine
Takao Saruta
Dean
School of Medicine, Keio University

subsequent emergence of multiple journals dedicated tomany specialized ®elds of medicine attracting submission of original works. Although this trend has resulted
in a decline in the number of original papers submitted
to the Keio Journal of Medicine, I am still convincedthat the journal will continue to hold its place as the mostimportant window through which the academic achievements of our medical school is shown to the world.
The undertaking of the publication has also made achange. The editorial of®ce, which was originally placed
within the Department of Public Health, was shifted tothe Keio Medical Association because of ®nancial andtechnical reasons. The Keio Medical Association currently publishes two medical journals. The Keio Medical Journal publishes many theses for doctorates in theJapanese language, while the Keio Journal of Medicine
publishes original works on basic and clinical medicine,records of CPC's and commemorative lectures of thewinners of the Keio Medical Prize, all in the English
language. Proceedings of the Keio International Medical Symposium funded by the Sakaguchi Memorial
Fund are being published biannually in the supplement
issues of the Keio Journal of Medicine.
The Keio Journal of Medicine is our valuable inheritance, and the best way we can cherish it is to keep onsubmitting high quality papers.
Last but not least, I would like to express my highappreciation of the wonderful contributions being madeby the Editor in Chief, Professor Naoki Aikawa, members of the editorial board, and the of®ce clerks.

This marks the 50th year of publication of the Keio
Journal of Medicine, and I would like to express mysincere congratulations on this occasion. The School ofMedicine, Keio University has long published two
medical periodicals, the Keio Medical Journal (KeioIgaku) in Japanese and the Keio Journal of Medicine inthe English language. It is distinctly unusual to encounter a medical school that has long maintained
publication of a set of two academic journals, eachin a different language. I am most grateful to the longand enduring dedication by many individuals involvedin this undertaking and I am sure our readers are aswell.
The Keio Journal of Medicine was ®rst launched halfa century ago by the late Professor Yoshio Kusama
with a strong commitment to introduce the achievementof our medical school to the medical communities outside Japan. Dr. Kusama spent many years studyingin the United States, and I am certain that this background worked as a strong impetus for his initiating thislong lasting project. Many competent Editors in Chief,Professor Toshio Toyama, Professor Yonosuke Watanabe, Professor Toyomi Fujino and Professor Naoki
Aikawa, the current Editor in Chief, have succeeded
Dr. Kusama, each adding valuable novel contributions.
Until around 1980, numerous original papers ofsuperb quality continued to be submitted to the Keio
Journal of Medicine, and the journal kept up with theoriginal purpose Dr. Kusama had set forth. However,what Dr. Kusama probably did not foresee was the2