There Should Be Attempt at Dialogue with Editors Rather than Frontal Attack

To the Editor: I am distressed to learn of the recent attack on the Croatian Medical Journal by members of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Zagreb (1). In my five years of association with this journal, I have come to value it for its dedication to research from the periphery of the global medical community – valuable material that might otherwise not reach others, for its attempt to bring the separate medical communities of the region together in the overriding shared goal of advancing health in the region, and for its courageous assertion of the importance of tackling difficult topics.

If faculty members in the Zagreb School believe that improvements are needed, I would have hoped they would follow a process of dialogue with the editors, rather than frontal attack. Perhaps that opportunity remains open. If so, it should be pursued. The findings of the independent panel investigating the dispute should be heeded. It surely befits the dignity of the Zagreb Medical School to pursue resolution of this conflict and then reconciliation with the Croatian Medical Journal.