In fact, the 7th July issue of Phys. Med. Biol. is a landmark issue in every sense. For starters, the very first issue of Phys. Med. Biol. was published in July 1956. To celebrate this the 50th anniversary of the journal, July 2006 sees the publication of a special issue comprising 25 historical review articles. Each review is written by a distinguished author in a given field, the aim being to chart the fundamental discoveries, developments and innovations that have shaped medical physics over the last 50 years - as well as looking forward to some of the exciting prospects on the horizon in the coming years.
Professor J E Roberts was the Editor of Phys. Med. Biol. in 1956 when the then quarterly journal published just under 400 pages per volume. Since then, the journal has grown dramatically, increasing from four to six issues in 1972, to 12 issues in 1982, and then to 24 issues in 2002. The 2006 volume of the journal will publish around 8000 pages.
The current Editor of Phys. Med. Biol. is Professor Steve Webb of the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden NHS Trust, UK. All told, the last half century has seen 11 editors come and go, three of them contributing review articles to this special issue, and a fourth, Professor Alun H Beddoe, acting as Guest Editor. "While I may not be around for the centenary issue in July 2056, I have every reason to believe it will be a good one," notes Beddoe.
The late Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat took over from Roberts as Editor in 1961. During his 11 years at the helm, he contributed greatly to the editorial development and publishing success of Phys. Med. Biol. It was felt highly appropriate that this anniversary issue be dedicated to the memory of Professor Rotblat.