Why Hygiea Internationalis

s there a need for a special journal for the history of public health? And, if so, why in electronic form? There are at least two answers to the last question. First of all, new journals in traditional form are expensive to produce and to distribute. Much more substantial support would have been needed from our sponsors to establish the journal on the market and to test its economic potential. We all know the difficulties in convincing our university libraries to subscribe to new journals, a condition necessary for their survival. Secondly, the electronic medium offers a number of possibilities not easily available for traditional journals. One is the easy access at no other cost for the consumer than time. A second advantage is the possibility to cut the time – just a few months – between the submission of the manuscript and its publication, which shortens the interval between the first expression of new ideas and findings and the moment they reach the rest of the scholarly world. We have met colleagues who are doubtful about the value of an electronic medium for the spread of high-quality research in the humanities and social sciences. Besides the arguments already mentioned, we would also like to point out that: