cation and research extends back to the start of modern medicine. One of the original goals of the JOURNAL was to encourage international activities in the fields of cardiac, thoracic, and vascular anesthesia, and, therefore, a significant percentage of the Editorial Board has been from outside the United States. Presently, nine of the members are from either Canada, Europe, or Japan. A close relationship has also developed between the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologists (EACTA) and the JOUR-NAL, marked by the publication of the abstracts of their annual scientific meeting, starting in 1989. The JOURNAL has also helped to. sponsor the review courses entitled "Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Anesthesia Updates," and in September 1990, the first international course was held in Montreal, Canada. In addition, as Editor in Chief I have traveled to many of the larger cardiothoracic anesthesia centers in the world in the past few years to observe and learn new ideas and techniques, as well as to discuss the problems encountered by these anesthesiologists. New friends and ideas have been gained in Europe, Japan, North and South America, Australia, and the Soviet Union.
These frequent overseas trips and exchanges with foreign colleagues have confirmed my original thoughts about the need for further cooperation between cardiothoracic anesthesiologists in the United States and those in the rest of the Americas, Asia, Australia, Africa, and, espe-cialIy, a united Europe. During a recent trip as a visiting professor to many of the medical centers in Italy, I gave a lecture on the treatment of the low output syndrome after surgery at the University of Padua, located about 50 miles west of Venice. During this visit, I was reminded that William Harvey traveled to the same University