Perfect takeoff.

ABSTRACT

When we first decided to start a professional society exclusively (and yet comprehensively) devoted to the field of toxicology about a year ago, little did we anticipate that it would grow so quickly, or that it would become so popular among a wide range of professionals, that we can now boast of a membership spanning the entire gamut of toxicology clinical, forensic, pharmaceutical, occupational, you name it, and we have some member or the other who represents that area. In less than a year, the Indian Society of Toxicology has grown almost to a 200-member strong contingent that is continuing to record its precocious growth even as this editorial is being written, so much so that the figures being mentioned would undoubtedly have changed by the time this issue of the journal reaches the hands of its subscribers (your hands). While it took a premier national society devoted to forensic medicine (of which the editor is a life member) decades to cross the 500 member mark, at the rate at which 1ST is growing currently, it will not be surprising if that milestone is crossed in less than 5 years (touchwood!). What is even more heartening is that nearly half the existing members are life members, the long haulers in contrast to transient wayfarers, who actually dictate in the long run as to whether a Society is going to be able to achieve its goals. And there are so many goals to achieve, so many miles to go before we sleep! This brings us to the Inaugural Conference of the Society, which will hopefully be the forerunner for regular annual conferences in the years to come. Holding regular conferences, symposia, and workshops in various areas of toxicology is one of the most important objectives of the Society, since that is the principal manner by which we can highlight the importance of the subject to our scientific brethren, and even the lay public at large, besides serving as a forum where we can interact with each other and learn from each other. By the time you get to read this issue, the Inaugural Conference (TOXOCON-1) should be well under way, since the release of the former has been designed to coincide with the date of the Conference (28 November 2005). The next issue of this journal (JIST), i.e., the Jan-June 2006 issue will carry a detailed report of TOXOCON-1, including full text versions of invited lectures and award winning papers presented at the Conference, as well as abstracts of all other papers. So, if you are just an annual (2005) member, or your subscription runs out by the year end, you would do well to renew the membership/subscription, or better still become a life member of 1ST and receive all future issues without break in continuity. Coming to this issue of JIST, a look at the contents will indicate the range and depth of the articles published, as well as the international nature of the journal. We have articles not only from various parts of India, but also from other countries such as Malaysia, Cameroon, and Turkey. And the waiting list of articles to be published keeps growing inexorably. What better indicator of the success of a professional journal can there be than the length of its waiting list of prospective authors! The hugely popular features (Toxiquiz and Toxicology Snippets) of course find a place in this issue as in the previous one, and in fact will be made permanent fixtures. In future issues, it is proposed to add more innovative features that will be specifically designed with a view to make them useful and interesting. After all it is our avowed aim to make JIST the gold standard for professional journals published on the subject from India.