The Canadian Journal of Surgery (CJS) now in its 50th year of publication has survived despite all the odds — and in my opinion rightly so. This indexed publication with contributions from general surgery, orthopedics and vascular surgery is one of the few remaining journals that appeal to the “generalist” surgeon. True, “cutting edge research” mostly gets published elsewhere, but the CJS with its potpourri of articles “tells it like it is” in Canada. Even though I may skim most articles, I come away with a sense of where the trends are going in related specialties. Authoritative editorials/opinion pieces by respected colleagues tackle some of the knotty issues of the day in surgical practice or the medicopolitical scene.
The recently introduced and very popular Evidence-Based Reviews in Surgery assist one in honing critical appraisal skills and help to demystify statistics, while at the same time encouraging one to think about an important clinical topic.
Surgical Biology for the Clinician encourages reflection on the underlying mechanisms of disease. The case notes often stump, delight and teach me — sometimes through the “but for the grace of God” principle!
Resident research is strongly featured, and many of today’s leaders got their feet wet for the first time publishing in the CJS. Those who have the privilege of reviewing articles for the journal before publication have the opportunity to influence content while interacting at arm’s length with the authors.
The CJS is celebrating an important milestone and deserves our continuing support both as readers and contributors.