Editor's Comment

Abstract

This is the last Editor’s Comment of the year and under usual circumstances it would recount the events of 2008 relating to the Journal, recounting the changes and innovations which have taken place, and many other issues. Unfortunately, as I look back over the year, all of my happiness about the Journal is clouded by the deaths of three of our urological colleagues; urological oncology in particular has been hit hard by their passing. In April, John Stein died suddenly while attending the annual meeting of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. This totally tragic event dominated our thoughts thereafter and led to many tributes in the urological literature. I wrote about my personal feelings at the loss, in my Editor’s comment in the August issue of the BJU International. The special issue, which we published in November on bladder cancer, edited by Seth Lerner and Cora Sernberg, was dedicated to the memory of John Stein, and contained a wonderful tribute by Don Skinner. It is still hard to believe that one so young is no longer with us and we very much miss his erudite presence. In September, a further loss occurred. John Donohue, in many ways the father of the modern management of testicular cancer, died suddenly in Florida. His contribution was monumental and his wisdom great. He gave advice on cases in a most helpful way and his company was something that I always particularly enjoyed. He will be very much missed by a huge band of admirers. It was a sad irony that I was informed of his death by his long-time associate, Larry Einhorn, who was our guest in Dublin at that time. I was particularly saddened by the loss of Andy Novick in October. He has been a great friend for many years, for as long as I can remember. He died from complications of lymphoma and it is a measure of the man that although I was very close to him, I did not know he was ill. His dedication to renal and adrenal surgery continued unabated until his final days, where his inner strength allowed him to maintain his professional duties. I feel a deep personal loss that Andy is no longer with us. He was a giant in the field of urological oncology. I hope that the readers of the BJU International have a relaxed festive season, and as usual I extend my heartfelt thanks to all concerned with the production of the Journal, particularly Audraí O’Dwyer, the Managing Editor and her assistants Karen Somers and Geraldine O’Shea. I would also like to thank the Associate Editors and the reviewers for their outstanding help over the last year.