‘Magazines for Poland’

To the Editors:

In July, 1980, the Polish government cancelled all subscriptions to foreign scientific journals because of a shortage of hard currencies and since then, Poland’s ten medical schools have been unable to renew subscriptions to any of these journals. Three West Coast publishing people have formed a committee, called “Magazines for Poland,” to launch an appeal for funds to purchase subscriptions to US scientific journals for Polish medical science schools.

English is the principal language of medicine in Poland. Polish medical schools traditionally try to follow US medical techniques and developments rather than depend on Russian medicine, and the stoppage of U.S. medical journals has become a serious problem for Polish doctors and medical students. Approximately 400 Americans were studying medicine in Poland before the imposition of Martial Law on December 13. $80,000 would be needed to replace the cancelled subscriptions to the more than 500 different publications. Requirements vary from 10 copies of The American Journal of Diseases of Children, which would cost around $800, to 12 copies of The New England Journal of Medicine, at about $450.

All donations will be passed on in the form of subscriptions and should be made payable to “Magazines for Poland,” P.O. Box 20093, Santa Barbara, California 93120. For further information contact R.C. Packer at 805-965-2342 or 969-6205, or Jim Lance at 805-967-5394 or 964-8196.

R.C. Packer, President, Western Empire Publications; Jim Lance, Chairman, Publishers Aide; Robert Poole, Jr., Editor, Reason Magazine