[Cover motifs of the Tidsskrift. A 14-year cavalcade]

In 1985 the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association changed its cover policy, moving the table of contents inside the Journal and introducing cover illustrations. This article provides an analysis of all cover illustrations published over this 14-year period, 420 covers in all. There is a great variation in cover motifs and designs and a development towards more general motifs. The initial emphasis on historical and medical aspects is now less pronounced, while the use of works of art and nature motifs has increased, and the cover now more often has a direct bearing on the specific contents of the issue. Professor of medical history Oivind Larsen has photographed two thirds of the covers and contributed 95% of the inside essay-style reflections on the cover motif. Over the years, he has expanded the role of the historian of medicine disseminating knowledge to include that of the raconteur with a personal tone of voice. The Journal's covers are now one of its most characteristic features, emblematic of the Journal's ambition of standing for quality and timelessness vis-à-vis the news media, and of its aim of bridging the gap between medicine and the humanities.