Editorial

Abstract

It seems entirely appropriate that the launch of the first issue of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia should coincide with the dawning of the third millennium: this will be the first truly international journal devoted to anaesthesia and analgesia in animals and, as such, will represent a major landmark in the history of publishing in this subject. It is the end-result of two convergent evolutionary paths that have spanned three decades. The Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland issued its first ‘journal’ in 1970 and has continued this publication ever since, although the title changed to the Journal of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists in 1985 and to the Journal of Veterinary Anaesthesia in 1991. The latter became a biannual publication in 1993. In North America, the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists published Veterinary Anesthesia from 1974 to 1980 and then after a five year interval began publishing Veterinary Anesthesia as a section of Veterinary Surgery in 1985. Now, the Journal of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Veterinary Anesthesia are combined. Therefore, this first issue of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia must be recognized as the culmination of 30 years of effort, and we should all be indebted to those enthusiastic veterinary anaesthetists and anesthesiologists who worked diligently to ensure that the proceedings of their meetings and the results of their research were made available to a wider readership in a dedicated publication.