Well assuming that you actually looked at the front cover and read the editorial, you should be aware that this is the 21st birthday edition of Nucleus. To celebrate this auspicious occasion we decided not to took to the future as one might expect, but rather to the past and enlighten you all as to the beginning of 'The Student Journal'. That is not to say that we do not have a vision for the future, but simply that we decided to recognise the enormous contribution of our predecessors in bringing us to where we are today.

Not surprisingly, as it is our 21st birthday, Nucleus began 21 years ago - that is, for those of you whose maths are as bad as mine, 1971, when most of us were not even dreaming of becoming doctors. Its primary aim was to help in the fulfilment of the purpose of the Associate Membership of the CMF, which had been formed a year earlier, namely:
(Nucleus October 1971))

There were two student editors, Miles Tutton (the London Hospital) and Andrew Brown (Guy's Hospital) who described their creation as a journal-cum-newsletter', its fourteen pages crammed with details of forthcoming events as well as reports of recent successes (and failures). They were aided and abetted, as we are now, by an 'adviser' who liaised with the office and ensured that 'copy' was ready on time.

Since 1971 Nucleus has fulfilled its vision of expansion, now usually numbering between 36 and 40 pages (a multiple of 4 being an editor's nightmare!) with a circulation of over 2,500 copies to around 30 countries. Yet in many ways it could be said to have come full circle back to where it began - the current editorial team once more involves students from Guy's and the London and our new insert, News, bears an uncanny resemblance to that original issue 21 years ago.

'Guidelines - a series circulating Christian thought on current issues for clinical medical students' has been and gone (although copies of the leaflets are still available from the CMF office) as has Peter May's long-standing series on 'Dialogue Evangelism', always a challenge to read and a literal lifesaver in providing last minute copy. However, many of the issues covered are still the same, ethical issues such as abortion and euthanasia concern today's medical student just as much as they concerned those of 20 years ago.

Indeed, I personally feel that having come full circle is no bad thing, so long as we still agree with the original editor and say:- 'Let's use Nucleus to strengthen the fellowship of Christian medical students, and to share our experiences so that, with Paul, we can say - that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.' Rom 1:12 (Nucleus October 1971)