Passing the baton: a new chief editor for social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology

Science is a quintessential human social activity, basedas it is on the mutual criticism of collaborating agents.Communication lies at its heart, and advances in commu-nication have always resulted in surges in scientificknowledge. The establishment of networks of scholarsallowed the rapid transmission of information—only a fewmonths lay between Lippershey’s invention of the tele-scope in the Netherlands, and Galileo’s presentation of amuch improved version to the Doge in Venice in 1609. Theformalisation of these networks as learned societies datesfrom the seventeenth century. The printed book drove thescientific developments of the Renaissance, and scholarshave always relied on correspondence with colleagues tocheck out their ideas (Darwin surely would not have beenable to write the Origin of Species without his wide sup-porting circle of correspondents).Finally the explosion of scientific activity in the nine-teenth century occurred in the context of the incrementaldevelopment of regularly published scientific journals.Over time, this led to the adoption and refinement of theprinciple of peer review, which, along with the journalcorrespondence column, represents a deliberate attemptto encapsulate the mutual-critical essence of scientificactivity.Thus publication in scientific journals has become theimprimatur of science. It is also the redoubt of scientificprobity and represents an enormous endeavour of publicservice. Although they may sometimes grumble, scholarsgenerally regard reviewing the work of colleagues as anentrusted duty, which they do willingly and without pay-ment. However, because the system is one of the glories ofscience, there are always those who would seek to pervertit, for reasons either of personal academic ambition or offinancial cupidity. Such perversions include research fraud,plagiarism, double publication, and the suppression ofnegative findings. In this regard too, the journal system isan important part of the self-correcting mechanism ofscience.It is clear therefore that the editorship of a scientificjournal is not a mere administrative function of the publi-cation industry, but a major public trust. The post comeswith considerable responsibility and power, which must bedeployed for good purposes. The responsibility is twofold,first to science in general, and second to the specific dis-cipline served by the journal. SPPE is fortunate inacquiring the services and commitment of a new chiefeditor, Dr Craig Morgan.The early days of social psychiatry and psychiatricepidemiologyStarting a new Journal always reflects a belief that there is agap in the market. In the decade before the mid-60s, thecustodial system of mental health care practised in largepublic mental hospitals was undergoing a transition to a