From Mr A. Cox, MRPharmS, and Mr S. Whitaker, MRPharmS
SIR,-We note that you are to retire from the Society on September 1 of this year (PJ, July 1, p34). Throughout your tenure at The Pharmaceutical Journal you have maintained its international reputation and editorial independence. Readers of The Pharmaceutical Journal and members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain have much to thank you for. We wish you all the best in the future and a long and fruitful retirement.
However, the retirement of the incumbent editor of The Journal and the absence of any advertisement for a replacement for the post is a cause for concern. It is important that The Pharmaceutical Journal is not left without an editor and that the post is filled with a person with similar high journalistic principles and independence.
The position of the editor was clearly set out at the August 5, 1998, meeting of the Council (PJ, August 15, 1998, p229). This meeting reviewed the new organisational structure of the Society where it was made clear that "the editor of The Pharmaceutical Journal will continue to have editorial freedom and will therefore have the final decision on all aspects of the content of The Pharmaceutical Journal and its sister publications".
Any possible attempt to change The Pharmaceutical Journal into a house magazine under the editorial control of the Society's Council or group of officers should be vigorously resisted by the membership of the Society. Without a free and open exchange of opinions within The Pharmaceutical Journal the Society will suffer and be considerably weakened.
The Journal should be considered as the organ of the Society, but not a tool of the Council. A loss of editorial freedom would reflect badly on the standing of The Journal and the Society. Our Society is robust enough to permit open discussion within the pages of The Journal, and in fact the strength of the Society is based on that fact.
The editorial freedom of The Journal has been defended several times over the past 160 years and it is the duty of the membership and the Council that this legacy from our predecessors is protected.
Anthony Cox
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
Simon Whitaker
Cardiff