Journal History

On July 1, 1921, the “Monthly Journal of Medicine and Surgery”, MÉDICA, from Matanzas, was published for the first time, a monumental periodical publication that constituted the main exponent of the medical development of the province of Matanzas, Cuba, in the last century. MÉDICA has had four publication periods: 1921-1930, 1942-1954, 1984-1990 and from 1997 to the present, when it exists in electronic format through the "Electronic Medical Journal".
The history of the Journal began long before the first edition was born in 1921, when a group of its founders made a first attempt to bring together scientific articles when they barely dreamed of becoming doctors, the "Medical Student Association Journal".  This publication, directed by Dr. Mario Emilio Dihigo y Llanos (1895-1978), appeared when he was studying Medicine back in 1916. It was published monthly and its twelfth issue became an extraordinary 150-page medical publication with numerous cartoons, photographs and satires, as they later appeared in MÉDICA, mainly in its first two periods.
The first issue of MÉDICA appeared on July 1, 1921 with Mario E. Dihigo as director, Dr. Oscar Forest and Díaz as assistant director, and Manuel de J. Ponte as editor-in-chief. In subsequent issues, its Editorial Board changed, leaving Dihigo and Forest as directors, Manuel de J. Ponte remained as editor-in-chief, Gustavo Loredo became administrator and the Editorial Committee was integrated, among others, by Drs. Julio Ortiz Coffygni , Florencio de La Portilla, Antonio Font Tió , Filomeno Rodríguez Acosta, Pascual Gispert, Luis A. Cuní , Armando Estorino and Carlos Trelles.
It is beautiful the introduction that Dihigo made to the magazine with the article "Profession of Faith" appeared on the first page of Volume 1, Issue 1 and that has served as a banner for all MÉDICA editions after its first period. Just with the fragments: "/.../ MÉDICA is not ours, it is yours, its pages open to every noble cause, it will be more honored the greater the number of its collaborators/..././.../Guide its steps along the path of companionship, convinced that it is not always the worst enemies of the same profession. Aspires to make the relationships between doctors more than pure etiquette and aims to serve as a pretext for greater and broader intelligence to exist among all...," of a profound humanistic ethos, Dihigo revealed the aim of the magazine and the certainty that its appearance would help to strengthen the human and professional relations between the doctors of the city.
Its redaction and administration headquarters were at Milanés 19 and the prices for the annual subscription throughout the republic were $3.00 and $4.00 abroad.
Between 1921 and 1930 it was published monthly, highlighting in this first stage the quality of its scientific works, the advertisements and the very illustrative and humorous caricatures of Dr. Oscar Forest (“Oskar”). In general, 216 scientific papers, 284 advertisements, 119 articles on personalities, four articles on contests and prizes, 14 anecdotes and 94 cartoons appeared up to 1926, as it is known from an excellent Index that was made in our province in 1987.
In Vol. 8 Issue 5 of 1928, Dr. Oscar Forest, who had accompanied Dihigo in the direction and founding of the magazine since 1921, appeared as the only director. Forest decided to continue with his student dream of keeping the magazine alive and had the support of Dr. Manuel de J. Ponte who continued as Editor-in-Chief and now also as administrator.
In Vol. 9 Issue 1 of 1929, Dr. Filomeno Rodríguez Acosta appeared as co-director, Dr. Manuel de J. Ponte continued as Editor-in-Chief and Dr. A. Soler Prats became the Administrator.
Dr. Rodríguez Acosta remained until Vol. 10 Issue 9, ending Dr. Forest the last issues of 1930. In these last four years, 351 advertisements, 52 scientific papers, 28 articles of general information, 11 cartoons, 9 notices and 7 stories were published.
MEDICA’s second period began in 1942 as the "Official Organ of the Society of Medicine and Surgery", with Dr. Oscar Forest as editor-in-chief, Dr. Manuel de J. Ponte as administrator, and on the Editorial Committee: Guillermo Caballero, Lorenzo Haza Grasso, Juan Flor Jorganes, and Mario E. Dihigo.
It was decided that the first issue of this second publication period were Vol. 1 and on pages 2 and 3 of the issue appears the speech that Dihigo made as President of the Society of Medicine and Surgery on May 11, 1941 in the inaugural session of the same.  In this phase, 208 scientific papers, 1 011 advertisements, 9 articles on contests and awards, 9 on congresses, 14 anecdotes and 22 cartoons were published. In 1954, after the six issues of the year came out, it stopped being published.
In 1984 MÉDICA reappeared with Vol.14, as an expression of the magazine's continuity, but now as the "Official Organ of the Council of Scientific Societies". It had a bimonthly frequency and more than 1 800 copies were published in each issue. Its director was Dr. Armando González Capote, assistant directors, Alejo Sagols Rubiños and Rubén Martínez Pichardo, the administrator Dr. Manuel de Bien Fernández, and the Editorial Board was headed by Drs. Silvia García García and Teresa Rosado Lima.
The editorial and direction of the journal was in Río No 21, between Jovellanos and Matanzas, headquarters of the Provincial Center for Medical Sciences Information.
In 1985 and 1986 it was not published due to printing difficulties and the first issue of 1987 came out as Vol. 15 Issue 1, already with an International Standard Serial Publication Number (ISSN), 0864-0890, which allowed it to offer legal protection to the author and the publisher, as well as to enter the national and international network. A new section "Culture and Medicine" appears in this period, with topics related to local and universal medical history.
Dr. Ariel Nodarse Tápanes was its new director, Dr. Rubén Martínez Pichardo, assitant director and Dr. Amada Abad Marrero the editor in chief. The editorial committee was made up of Drs. Miguel Urbizo Cañón, Pedro Rodríguez Domínguez, Ubaldo Llanes Lorenzo, Alberto Rionda Sánchez and Ramón Madrigal Lomba. The secretary was  Mayra Enríquez Valdés and the translator Migdalia Benito Miralles.
The editorial committee was enriched by renowned doctors from Matanzas who tried to keep the journal alive until the arrival of the so-called Special Period in Cuba, when the journal ceased to be published after the first two issues of 1990.
In this period, 227 scientific articles, nine history papers in the "Medicine and Culture" section, two case presentations and four letters to the editor were published.
In December 1997, MÉDICA began to be published in electronic format with Vol. 19. Issue 1. Its direction was in charge of Dr. Esther Báez Pérez, dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences; Executive Director, Dr. Santiago Almeida Campos; Scientific Director, Dr. Arturo Vidal Tallet ; President of the Editorial Committee, Bach. Sonia Fuentes García and Informatics and Computing, Bach. Gabriel Cabrera Rodríguez. It was published every three months by the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Matanzas and began to publish in electronic format: original and review articles related to health issues, short notes and letters to the editor, texts in Spanish, indexes, abstracts in English, as well as programs for the development of the medical specialty and diagnostic and therapeutic updates.
In 1998, the new dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lic. Cristóbal Mesa Simpson, became General Director; Executive Director, Dr. Santiago Almeida Campos; Scientific Director, Dr. Arturo Vidal Tallet ; and in the Editorial Committee,  Bach. Sonia Fuentes García, Bach. Gabriel Cabrera Rodríguez and Bach. Hendrik Toboso López. The presentation of the journal began to change, becoming more and more beautiful. This year, in addition to the four ordinary issues, a special supplement related to the Provincial Workshop "15 years of present and future of family medicine" was published.
The Journal began to be registered in the Collective Catalog of Cuban Serial Publications, edited by the Cuban Book Institute and its content was disseminated to all Information Centers in the country.
In Vol. 25 Issue 4 of 2003, the Editorial Board changed again and the journal returned to a bi-monthly frequency, disseminating itself through a website. The Section “Medicine and Culture” also reappeared and the ISSN was changed, now being 1684-1824. Its Editorial Board was formed by Dr. José Fernández Morín as General Director, Bach. Sonia Fuentes García in the Editorial Committee and Migdalia Benito Miralles continued to lead the Translation Service.
In 2007, Dr. Judit Martínez Abreu, a stomatologist, assumed the direction of the journal, and the editorial and direction of the magazine began to be based at the central headquarters of the Matanzas University of Medical Sciences, in Carretera Central Km 101.
Since 2021, the direction of the journal passes to Dr. C. Santiago Almeida Campos, who had served as executive director in previous stages, with Silvio Faustino Soler Cárdenas as Scientific Editor and Beatriz Ferreiro García as Main Editor.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

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