The new Editor, Dr. Santosh Bhargava in his first editorial outlined the task for the new editorial team [1]. "….efforts should now be concentrated towards improving further the production and scientific quality of this publication so that the journal continues to meet international standards", clearly underscored the intent of the new editor and his team. "Indian Pediatrics: Style and Content" was the title of the second issue under the stewardship of the new Editor [2]. "It has been decided to adopt the Vancouver style, which has been agreed upon by a group of medical journals editors meeting at Vancouver in 1978". These were the opening lines of that Editorial which was accompanied by the description of the Vancouver style [3]. This shift in style and format helped contribute in some measure to Indian Pediatrics joining the league of international medical journals in the coming years.

Neonatal care was clearly a neglected area in the country till the nineteen eighties. The Editorial "Neonatal Care: A Newborn’s Right and a not a luxury" in 1981 by Dr SK Bhargava, was the clarion call for bringing back neonatal health onto the national agenda [8]. The Editor made a fervent appeal to focus on levels of neonatal care, its integration with existing maternal and child health services, redesigning medical and paramedical education to include newborn health within its curricula and focus on productive newborn research. The publication of the Recommendations of the Task Force on Minimum Perinatal care in 1983 [9] with its accompanying editorial [10] reflected the vision for perinatal care in the country and was clearly the catalyst that newborn care in India needed. Interestingly, the birth of the National Neonatology Forum just preceded the 1981 editorial. The announcement of the founding of this professional organization, which has singularly changed neonatal care in India over the last three decades, was published in the 1980 September issue of Indian Pediatrics (Fig. 1).

Fig.1 Announcement of formation of NNF.

The journal also published articles on the existing national programs related to child health. The areas covered included utilization of health services, immunization (particularly poliomyelitis and control of tetanus) primary health care, All India post partum program, and supplementary nutrition programs. The editorial by Jacob John [11] in 1981 addressed the question on eradication of polio in India, initiated the debate on IPV and the challenges in polio eradication. The publications of articles on immunization strategy [12], and control of neonatal tetanus [13] have been amongst the seminal publications in Indian Pediatrics which have contributed to the current changed scenario in vaccine preventable diseases in the country.

Fig. 2 Report of special committee on breastfeeding.

The editorials and articles published during the period 1980-84 reflected the priorities in child health in that era. Infectious diseases, malnutrition, nutrition, neonatal health and Indian childhood cirrhosis dominated the publications in the journal during this period. The infectious diseases that found a priority for their publication included vaccine preventable diseases such as poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles and tetanus; diarrheal diseases, and respiratory infections. Nutrition and in particular breast feeding, was an area of concern. The journal published the policy statement of a Special Committee of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics on Breast feeding in the 1984, January issue of the journal (Fig. 2 is a reproduction of the first page of this published report) and in the same year the March issue published the Indian National Code For protection and Promotion of Breast Feeding [14] along with an Editorial by Dr PM Udani [15]. Clearly, the editorial team was not only focusing on clinical research but also promoting social pediatrics. There was always a concern for the persistence of childhood malnutrition. An article by Vijayraghavan published in the December 1980 [16] issue of the journal carried a table on how to compute an etiology/predisposition based malnutrition index. The table from the article is reproduced as Fig. 3. One wonders why such a risk index did not gain popularity even though malnutrition is still widely prevalent 30 years since that article was published.

Fig. 3 Table of malnutrition index.

Pediatric sub-specialties were yet to come of age. However, clearly the Editor and his team had identified the need to bring pediatric sub-specialties to the forefront. The numerous articles and editorials on this theme are a reflection of this prioritization - Cancer in childhood: need for a planned approach [17], Non-invasive cardiac evaluation [18], Developmental pharmacology [19], Pediatric endocrinology: Future perspectives [20], Renal failure in children [21], Pediatric neurology: Need for development [22], and Pediatric hematology: a neglected specialty [23], just to name a few. This was a period when Indian Childhood Cirrhosis, an entity not seen any more, was very common and the journal published several articles including an editorial on this subject during Dr Bhargava’s editorship. A major contribution of Indian Pediatrics to the academic world was the publication of a complete comprehensive classified review on the subject from 1887 to 1980 in its July 1980 issue [24].

The Editor had certainly not forgotten medical education and research. Editorials and articles on medical education were important themes [25,26]. Research priorities, which was a stated goal of the new team in its first editorial, also found a place in the publications during the tenure of this editorial ream [27]. The publication of an article on ethics in research at a time when these considerations were nascent, is a tribute to the editor’s vision of things to come [28].

The Editor ensured that the journal continued to cater to the varied interests of the readership. Practitioner’s column was a regular feature which provided ready updates on common pediatric problems for the clinicians. The issues of the journal published in 1982 carried an interesting column "Diagnostic and Therapeutic Aids" which dealt with common investigations–their indications, interpretation and utility. One wonders why the Editor discontinued this interesting column in the subsequent volumes published during his tenure. The editor also recognized innovations and found a place for them in the journal. One such innovation was a "Wet nappy detector" for the NICU published in its September 1983 issue [29]. The image of the innovation is reproduced in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 Wet Nappy detector.

Indian Pediatrics was not only a platform for sharing academic work, but it also became a voice for the marginalized. Children with disabilities were a marginalized group in the early nineteen eighties. Two publications are worthy of mention. The first is an Editorial by Dr. Sinclair on legislation for the mentally handicapped in the January 1981 issue of the journal [30] which made a strong plea to change existing lunacy laws that discriminated against the mentally challenged and accord them their due right in society. This was a forerunner which has contributed to the existing Persons with Disabilities [Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation] Act, 1995, of the Department of Social Justice, Government of India. The other publication is the one by Pandit and Bhave (1981) [31] which for the first time in India provided information on the patterns of various handicaps in children. The table from that article is reproduced as Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 Patterns of childhood handicaps, Pandit and Bhave [13].

The era 1980-84 saw Indian Pediatrics shift gears in its style and format and publish important research work which contributed to the journal’s international visibility. It also became a platform for sharing child health planning strategies, which influenced thinkers in the national government. Finally as an academic journal it also fulfilled its obligations of improving medical education and research.

1. Bhargava SK. The task ahead. Indian Pediatr. 1980;17:323.

2. Srivastava RN. Indian Pediatrics: style and content. Indian Pediatr. 1980;17:399

3. Editorial. The Vancouver Style. Indian Pediatr. 1980;17:400-403

4. Walia BNS. Child health and the 6th Five Year plan. Indian Pediatr. 1981;16:783-85.

5. Santhanakrishnan BR. Child health in 7th Plan. Indian Pediatr. 1983;20:627-630.

6. Walia BNS. Child health in the 7th Plan 1985-90. Indian Pediatr. 1983;20:631-635.

7. Bhargava I. Integrated approach to maternal and child health and family planning. Indian Pediatr. 1983;20:395-400.

8. Bhargava SK. Neonatal Care: A newborn’s right and a not a luxury. Indian Pediatr. 1981;18:687-90.

9. Bhargava I. Recommendations on Minimum Perinatal Care: The Report of Task Force [1982], Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Indian Pediatr. 1983;20:617-620.

10. Bhargava SK. Perinatal care. Indian Pediatr. 1983;20: 547-8.

11. Jacob John T. Towards a national policy on poliomyelitis. Indian Pediatr. 1981;18;503-6.

12. Basu RN. Immunization strategy. Indian Pediatr. 1984;21:511-3.

13. Sokhey J, Bhargava I. Control of neonatal tetanus in India. Indian Pediatr. 1984;21:515-9.

14. Indian National Code For Protection and Promotion of Breast Feeding. Indian Pediatr 1984;21:259-64.

15. Udani PM. Pediatricians and the Indian National Code for protection and promotion of Breast feeding. Indian Pediatr.184;21:187-190.

16. Vijayraghavan R, Vishwanathan J. Protein energy malnutrition in Madurai Part I: Causes of precipitation. Indian Pediatr. 1980,17:945-9.

17. Gandhi RK. Cancer in childhood: Need for a planned approach. Indian Pediatr. 1981;18:363-4.

18. Sanyal SK, Non-invasive evaluation of the heart in children: State of the art. Indian Pediatr. 1982;19:3-5.

19. Mehta S. Developmental pharmacology. Indian Pediatr. 1982;19:391-2.

20. Desai M. Pediatric endocrinology: Future perspectives. Indian Pediatr. 1982:19:651-3.

21. Srivastava RN. The challenge of irreversible renal failure in children. Indian Pediatr. 1983;20:79-81.

22. Kalra V. Pediatric Neurology: need for development. Indian Pediatr. 1983;20:231-233.

23. Bhargava M. Pediatric hematology: A neglected specialty. Indian Pediatr.1982;19:467-8.

24. Bhagwat AG. Indian childhood cirrhosis (ICC): A complete classified review (1887-1980). Indian Pediatr. 1980;17:581-5.

25. Bhandari NR. Medical education. Indian Pediatr. 1981;18:427-8.

26. Philip E. Development of MCH curriculum for the undergraduate in medical colleges. Indian Pediatr.1981;18:429-33.

27. Merchant SM. The research priorities. Indian Pediatr. 1982;19:199-200.

28. Satyavati GV. Ethical considerations in medical research. Indian Pediatr. 1982;19:201-8.

29. Parida SN, Giri SK. Wet nappy detector. Indian Pediatr. 1983;20:684-5.

30. Sinclair S. Legislation for the mentally handicapped. Indian Pediatr.1981;18:19-21.

31. Pandit A, Bhave S. Prevalence and patterns of handicaps in a rural area. Indian Pediatr. 1981;18:35-40.