American Journal of Diseases of Children

Abstract

American Journal of Diseases of Children Robert Boyd had, to my mind, an easier reviewing task a few months ago as with no knowledge of Cyrillic script most of Pediatriia was incom- prehensible to him.My smattering of Cyrillic is not required to review the American Journal of Diseases of Children (September 1990), so I am left deciding whether I am expected to comment on the journal or the individual articles therein: the wood or the trees?Perhaps I should 'come clean' and admit that I am greatly influenced by the superficial appearance of things.I buy gramophone records for the attraction of the sleeves as much as for the quality of the recordings.For appear- ance this journal does not score highly.Despite being a publication of the American Medical Association, it lacks the artistic outside covers of its sister journal, the ournal of the American Medical Association.Inside it has similar problems.The relative merits of journal format can trigger involved arguments in editorial board meetings.Should a journal move to A4 size?Should there be one or two columns of print per page?These items are thought important in the battles to attract readers.The American Journal ofDiseases ofChildren has three columns of very small print with about six words a line.Reading is tiresome as roughly every fourth line ends in a hyphenated word.The print is densely packed on the page with little break for illustrations or diagrams.The tables, on blue backgrounds surrounded by hard black lines, seem neither particularly easy to read nor attractive.* But what of the science?The range of articles is wide and the topics covered significant: management of cardiovascular disease risk fac- tors by primary care physicians; treatment of type 2a hyperlipidaemia in childhood (diet and fibre supplement); social and medical problems in children of heroin addicted parents (the prob- lems you might expect with 37% unemployment, 16% prostitution, and 19% imprisonment *The Americans must have felt as I did.In January 1991 the journal changed to a logo style title on the front cover and a predominantly two columns per page style internally.