SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL JOURNAL
Cape Town, 16 August 1975 Volume 49 : No. 35 : Deel 49
SUID-AFRIKAANSE MEDIESE TYDSKRIF
Kaapstad, 16 Augustus 1975
EDITORIAL
VAN DIE REDAKSIE
The List of References
It is customary, when writing a scientific article, to cite the sources of information quoted, and we have often written about these reference lists. Most authors are inclined to become over-enthusiastic when citing references, and we must against beseech our contributors to limit their references to those that are essential to the better understanding of, or to the correlation of, the research of their peers. A careful survey of the dedicated .academic personnel of any university will reveal the startling fact that, contrary to common assumption, all these references are very seldom used by even the most critical reader. Previously published material need not be cited in order to prove the accuracy of the quotation - scientific integrity should be such that verification need never be contemplated. The reference need only be given if there is reason to believe that certain readers will want to peruse the cited publication in order to gather additional information not quoted by the author.
Authors should be careful of statements such as: 'Only 10 cases have been reported in the literature'. Even the most meticulous perusal of the indexed articles may not bring to light all the published material, and it is far safer to admit a dedicated attempt, without being dogmatic: 'I have been able to find only 10 reported cases in the literature,' is a much safer phrase. Above all, contributors must remember that it is the duty of the author to ensure accuracy in the cited references. If the editorial staff had to check every reference for spelling, date and page number, we would need several more qualified people, and days would have to be spent on every article, merely to control the accuracy of the material listed. The spelling in the text of the names of authors of published material is still frequently different from that in the reference list, and we have no practical means of ascertaining which is the correct version: but an even more heinous crime is consistently to mis-spell names, and at the same time to misquote volume and page numbers. Such lack of attention makes a very poor impression, and one's natural inclination is to mistrust the data cited in the research report and to reject the article in toto. If an author proves himself unable to note the correct spelling and date of a published article, how can we blindly trust him to supply the correct figures for blood concentrations and similar data in his tables? It is no use blaming the typist - she takes responsibility neither for the research nor for the accuracy of the final manuscript. One of our senior authors recently managed to misquote the page and volume number of one of his own published articles - his manuscripts will henceforth be placed under a magnifying glass, and are likely to remain there for some time. One author even misquoted the name of the particular journal - another instance of rank carelessness. The Afrikaans name of our Journal was changed from Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Geneeskunde to Suid-Afrikaanse Mediese Tydskrif in 1970, and yet several of our regular readers and contributors have not yet noticed the change. One cannot help wondering at their ability to read and assimilate facts with any degree of accuracy.
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]6 Augustu
1975
The Symposium on Venous Thrombo-embolism
In this issue we publish the abstracts of the papers read during the symposium on venous thromboembolism held in Pretoria on 7 - 8 February 1975, and the transcriptions of the discussions that ensued. A number of articles ba ed on the papers presented at the symposium will also be published in later editions of the SAMJ. We again wi h to extend our congratulations to the organisers of this interesting and well-attended symposium and to the sponsors, who made it financially possible. Transcription facilities for meetings of a similar nature are available at the Journal offices, and we again wish to I:emind our readers that publication of the proceedings of symposia may be negotiated with the editor.
Die Fynstruktuur van 'n Kongres
Almal van ons ken hulle - daardie referente wat twee-drie dae in 'n kongres sit, wetende dat hul beurt sus en so 'n tyd gaan aanbreek, en wat sien hoe die een afgevaardigde na die ander sukkel om die podium se liggies aan- of afgeskakel te kry. ogtans ag hulle dit nie nodig om gedurende een of ander teepouse te gaan kyk hoe die knoppies en dingetjies werk nie. Die gehoor moet maar in die halfdonker sit en wag terwyl daar gevroetel word. Dit is ook gewoonlik hulle wat tyd steel en vir wie daar 'n valdeur in die platform behoort te wees, verkieslik met 'n paar krokodille in 'n bad water daaronder. Ons ken ook die gehore. Selfs die mees tydsbehepte geneeshere wat dag na dag volgens 'n stiptelike skedule werk, vind dit onmoontlik om gehoor te gee aan die versoek van 'n voorsitter om die teedrinkery tot 15 minute te beperk. Eerstens drom hulle saam voor die skinktafel en staan rustig en gesels met geen agting vir diegene wat wag om bedien te word nie. Daarna staan hulle in die loop· gang en ginnegaap terwyl die voorsitter tevergeefs klokkies lui of hamerslaan. As die verbygaande tyd uiteindelik opgelet word, word vir oulaa 'n geselsie aangeknoop, verkieslik voor die deur van die saal sodat niemand in- of uit kan gaan nie. Intemasionale kongresse word gewoonlik va:l lui terapparaat voorsien sodat daar gelyktydige vertalings gedoen kan word, maar waarom nie ook operaverkykers nie, sodat die klein, onontsyferbare geskrif op die skyfies bestudeer kan word nie? Of miskien maak dit nie saak nie want die referent gaan in ieder geval nie tyd toelaat vir die lees van die geskrif nie - dis maar sommer daar vir die mooi. Die ervare kongresganger weet beter as om te probeer lees wat op die skyfie staan en volg hewer die liggie van die flits soos die pyltjie die hele plafon, die gesig van die voorsitter en die blinkende blom: pot uitkies. In die meeste kongressale sal 'n verkleurmannetjie swaarkry. Nou versoek die spreker dat die ligte uitgedoof word sodat hy 'n skyfie kan toon, en vra dadelik daarna weer vir lig sodat die gehoor horn kan sien. Skaars is die lig aan, of hy vra weer vir donkerte sodat die volgende illustrasie getoon kan word. En skynbaar weet niemand presies hoe om die ligte aan- of af te skakel nie. Daar is min kongresgangers wat tevrede is om op dieselfde vlug te vertrek soos deur hul sekretaresses bespreek is. Die vlugte moet kwansuis dringend verander word - om weer later terugverander te word namate die kongres vorder. Sekretariele diens in die verband word deur die afgevaardigdes as essensieel beskou, maar hulle moet net nie verwag word om gereeld op die kennisgewingbord te kyk of daar dalk boodskappe wag nie - dit is te veel gevra. 'n Finale woordjie van waarskuwing: mikrofone is deesdae sensitief en as die kongres-sekretarisse later met oorfone na die bandopnames luish~r, is die privaatgesprekke 'n nimmereindigende bron van vreugde.