Eugene W. Caldwell Lecture. The American Journal of Roentgenology: past, present, and future

In November 1895, a German physicist named Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen read before the Physico-Medical Society of Würzburg a paper reporting his discovery of a new type of radiation that he called X-rays. Only 11 years later, the American Journal of Roentgenology began to chronicle progress in the new science of roentgenology, and it has continued to fulfill this mission for 89 of the 100 years since Roentgen's discovery. My purpose in this address is to focus attention on the AJR as part of the centennial of the discovery of the X-ray. I wish to pay tribute to the Journal as a vital part of the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), and--most important--to acknowledge it as a priceless archive and a treasured heritage to be passed on to future generations of all radiologists. I will recognize the contributions of the key people in the recent history of the AJR who have made the Journal what it is today, reflect on the changes that have occurred during my tenure as editor, and finally, discuss the challenges that I think the Journal will face in the future. This constitutes my valedictory report--my farewell reflections on the Journal, now that my tenure as editor is ending on July 1, 1995.