special communication Croatian Society of Radiology (1928-2008), the Croatian Medical Association - 80 years of existence and activity Slavko Simunic1, Kresimir Glavina1, Nada Besenski2, Ratimira Klaric-Custovic3 1 Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Clinical Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia 2 Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Clinical Centre Split, Split, Croatia 3 Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital "Sestre milosrdnice", Zagreb, Croatia Received 22 September 2010 Accepted 14 November 2010 Correspondence to: Prof. Slavko Simunic, MD, PhD, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Clinical Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia. E-mail: slavko.simunic@xnet.hr Disclosure: No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed. Often and in various connotations one can hear or read the following syntagma: "Let's leave the past in the past -and turn to the future". Even more frequent and numerous are opposite opinions, e.g. "There is no future without past", "Future is built on past" or "Remembering our past - reaching for our future", and many more. Key words: radiology; history; Croatian Medical Association, Croatian Society of Radiology The first practical use of X-rays in medicine In the very same year (1895) as Francis Joseph I, the Austro-Hungarian emperor, ceremonially opened a new building of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Wilhelm Konrad Röntgen, a German physicist (Lennep 1845 - Munich 1923), in his experimental laboratory in Würzburg discovered the radiation until then unknown, which he called X-rays. As a proof then, he also published the first roentgenogram - an image of his wife's hand with a ring on the middle finger. He was awarded the first Nobel Prize in physics (1901) for this extraordinary discovery, and the newly discovered rays were named the Roentgen rays in his honour. The discovery gave origin to a new profession (science) radiology (roentgenology), which enabled a fresh impetus in the development not only of medicine, but of many other human activities. The first practical use of X-rays in medicine in this region was recorded in Rijeka (1897), when a roentgen apparatus was acquired, Prof. Dr. Peter Salcher presented at the Naval Academy an X-ray of a hand with a ring on the baroness Vranyczany's finger. Thereafter followed Ogulin, Sibenik and Srijemska Mitrovica (1898), Zagreb (1901), Osijek (1902) and Lepoglava (1904) - let us remember that the Paulists of Lepoglava, in rivalry with the Jesuits, started providing university education (1656) with lectures in logic. The roentgen apparatuses were then obtained in Pula, Split, Dubrovnik, Bjelovar (1905), and Varaždin, Karlovac, Vinkovci and Nova Gradiška (1911), and Sisak (1912). We may also mention that the roentgen radiation was for the first time used for the research in palaeontology by Prof. Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger (1902), a Croatian natural scientist of world-renowned, a geologist, palaeontologist and anthropologist, for taking X-ray of the Krapina early man's jaw.1 Organizations in Croatia Organised medical work in Croatia started with the establishment of the Društvo slavonskih liječnika (Slavonian Medical Association) in Osijek (1874), that started publishing the Glas slavonskih liječnika (Slavonian Medical Journal) (1877) - the today's "Medicinski vjesnik" (Medical Journal), published by the University Hospital Osijek, the Faculty of Medicine in Osijek, and other regional medical centres. A few months later, in the same year (1874), the Sabor liečnika kraljevine Hrvatske i Slavonije (Medical Association of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia) was founded in Zagreb, and started publishing the Liecnicki viestnik (Medical Journal) (1877) - the today's "Lijecnicki vjesnik" (Medical Journal of the Croatian Medical Association), the gazette of the Croatian Medical Association.1 From the 1920s, the Association was called the Hrvatski lijecnicki zbor (Croatian Medical Association), and from 1945 to 1992 it operated under the name the Zbor lijecnika Hrvatske (Medical Association of Croatia), becoming the member of the Savez le-karskih/lijecnickih drustava Jugoslavije (Union of Medical Associations of Yugoslavia). As the aggression on Croatia started (1991), the Medical Association of Croatia freezed (on 26th February 1991), and subsequently broke off all the relations (on 30th September 1991) with the Union of Medical Associations of Yugoslavia. We were also obligated to do so by the UN Security Council Resolution no. 757/1992, stating that "....any activity in the area of science, technology, information sciences, education, culture and sports, even publishing activity, with the SFRY /Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia/ shall be suspended...". In that period, and observing the then-valid and customary schedule of rotating the seats of the leadership of a particular professional association during a 4-year mandate, Zagreb was the seat of the Yugoslav Society of Cardiology, the Yugoslav Association of Pulmonology and Phthisiology, the Association of Yugoslav Clinical Cytology, the Yugoslav Association of Anaesthesiologists, the Yugoslav Association of Dermatology, and the Yugoslav Society of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. All the presidents, vice-presidents and secretaries of these associations resigned their duties, and on behalf of their respective associations renounced any further cooperation. The Section of radiology of the Medical Association of Croatia, in accordance with this, broke off (on 4th October 1991) the cooperation with the Yugoslav Society of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, and returned the mandate for presiding the Society for the period 1988 - 1992, and renounced to the obligation of organising the 14th Congress of the Yugoslav Society of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine planned for 1992, informing about it all the professional associations of the then Yugoslav republics and provinces. Following the disintegration of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, and the founding of the Republic of Croatia, with its international recognition, the conditions were met for the direct membership of Croatian professional associations in international professional institutions, so that the Croatian Medical Association also became a full member of the World Medical Association (1992), i.e. the Croatian Medical Association. Although the radiology profession and science in this region was being applied soon after the respective discovery (Rijeka 1897), the roentgenologists / radiologists were formally organised only in 1928, through the foundation of the Society of Roentgenology (1928-1935), which changed the name into the Section of Radiology, Electrophysiology and Balneology (1935-1945). After the Second World War, the Society was reorganised again and the name changed to the Section of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (1945-1984), having radiologists, radiothera-peutists, oncologists and nuclear medicine practitioners as members. The development of nuclear medicine and the growing number of educated nuclear medicine practitioners lead to the separation of these experts into two independent sections, so that ours changed the name into the Section of Radiology of the Medical Association of Croatia (1984 - 1992). As the Croatian Medical Association became a member of the World Medical Association, all the Sections were entitled to a higher level of membership, i.e. to receive the title of a society, so that on this basis the present-day Hrvatsko društvo radiology (HDR) - The Croatian Society of Radiology (CSR) was founded and named at the Founding Assembly held on 22nd April 1992, in the Great Hall of the Croatian Medical Association, being the successor of all the already mentioned Associations of Radiology in Croatia. Since the foundation (1928) until the present day, the Sections / Societies were headed by presidents: Prof. Dr. Laza Popovic (1928-1945), Prof. Dr. Ferdo Petrovčic (1945- 1958), Prof. Dr. Vladimir Gvozdanovic (1958-1960), Prof. Dr. Silvije Kadrnka (1960-1965), Ass. Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivo Belančic (19651967), Prim. Dr. Karlo Strohal (1967-1971), Prof. Dr. Sc. Šime Čičin-Šain (1971-1976), Prof. Dr. Sc. Duško Katunaric (1976-1986), Prof. Dr. Sc. Davorin Kovačevic (1986-1992), Prof. Dr. Sc. Slavko Šimunic (1992-1996), Prof. Dr. Sc. Nada Bešenski (19962004), Prof. Dr. Sc. Ratimira Klaric-Čustovic (20042008), and Prof. Dr. Sc. Boris Brkljačic (from 2008 on). Immediately after its foundation, the CSR obtained right to apply for an independent direct membership in international institutions. Firstly, all the required documentation for the membership in the European Association of Radiology - EAR was collected and submitted (a written application and an explanation in English, an English version of the Statute of the Croatian Medical Association and the Rules of Procedure of the Society, and the list of the Society's members). The application was examined in the General Assembly of the European Association of Radiology at the time of the European Congress of Radiology, in Vienna 1993. The application was granted unanimously, and the CSR became a regular and full member of the EAR. An application for the membership of the International Society of Radiology - ISR followed. In accordance with the same procedure, the application waited for the General Assembly and the International Congress of Radiology to be held - in Singapore 1994, when the CSR became a member of this society as well. Professional activities The Croatian radiologists have always had a significant impact on the organization and participation in various radiology events in the then Yugoslavia: the 1st Yugoslav Meeting on Radiology (Split, 1930), organised by Prim. Dr. Jaksa Racic; the 2nd Yugoslav Meeting on Radiology (Belgrade, 1935), in the organisation participated the following colleagues from Croatia: Prof. Dr. Ernst Mayerhofer - the dean of the Faculty of Medicine / Zagreb, Prof. Dr. Laza Popovic, radiologist / Zagreb, Dr. Milan Smokvina, radiologist / Zagreb, and Dr. Stevo Radojevic, radiologist / Zagreb. After the Second World War, meetings were held every four years, by rotation in the republics' capitals. The 1st Scientific Meeting of Radiologist of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (FNRY) - (Belgrade 1950); the 2nd Scientific Meeting of Radiologists of FNRY (Zagreb 1953). Thereafter, the meetings were named congresses: the 3rd Congress of Radiology of FNRY (Ljubljana 1956); the 4th Congress of Radiology of FNRY (Skopje 1960); the 5th Congress of Radiology of Yugoslavia (Belgrade 1964). Because of the two Scientific Meetings held earlier (Split 1930, and Belgrade 1935), the next congress was titled the 8th Congress of Radiology of Yugoslavia (Pula 1968); and the 9th Congress of Radiology of Yugoslavia (Ljubljana 1972). Out of the total of 228 lectures held on that congress, 55 lectures (24 %) were from Croatia. At the 10th Congress of Radiology of Yugoslavia (Sarajevo 1976), out of the total of 245 lectures held, 65 lectures (26%) were from Croatia. At the 11th Congress of Radiology of Yugoslavia (Novi Sad 1980), out of the total of 396 lectures FIGURE 1. Programme of the First scientific meeting of radiologists of the Croatia, Sibenik, October 19-22, 1978. held, 97 lectures (25%) were from Croatia. At the 12th Congress of Radiology of Yugoslavia (Belgrade 1984), out of the total of 325 lectures held, 97 lectures (20%) were from Croatia. And at the 13th Congress of Radiology of Yugoslavia (Ohrid 1988), out of the total of 496 lectures held, 97 lectures (20%) were from Croatia. The 14th Congress of Radiology of Yugoslavia (1992) was supposed to be held in organisation of the Croatian radiologists, but due to the known war situation, Croatia renounced the task. In the period from 1978 to 1992, and owing to Prof. Dr. Sc. Dusko Katunaric and Prim Dr. Kreso Pavlekovic, the president and the secretary respectively of the then Section of Radiology, the Section organised Scientifics Meetings of Radiologists of Croatia in various towns in Croatia, followed an alternating "continent - seaside" territorial principle. Even though in those times the meetings were of mere republic-importance, they had wide reverberation across the entire then Yugoslavia, both among the participants and the lecturers, so those meetings were considered to be at the "level" of a congress. There were ten meetings held in total: in Šibenik (1978) (Figure 1), Plitvička jezera (1979), Split (1981), Osijek (1982), Pula (1985), Karlovac (1986), Opatija (1987), Požega (1989), Zadar (1990) and Varaždin (1992). The total of 776 lectures were held at the meetings (752 national authors and 24 foreign authors - 5 from Germany, 5 from Switzerland, 2 from Italy, 2 from Norway, 2 from the USA, 1 from France, 1 from Belgium, 1 from Sweden), and 102 lectures at three Courses (on Radiology of Kidney, on Radiology of Mediastinum, and on CT in Neuroradiology). With the development of radiology and an increasing number of specialists in radiology, as well as their professional and scientific orientation, the conditions were met, as per the Statute of the Croatian Medical Association and the Rules of Procedure of the Croatian Society of Radiology, for the establishment of particular sections. Firstly, the Section of Neuroradiology (1933) was founded -the first president was Prof. Dr. Sc Nada Bešenski. Then followed the establishment of the Junior Radiologists Forum (1994) - encouraged by the Junior Radiologist Forum (JRF) of the European Association of Radiology - the first president was Dr. Franka Jelavic - Kojic. The third to be established was the Section of Ultrasound in Medicine (1994) - the first president was Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivo Drinkovic. Then the Section of Interventional Radiology (2000) - the first president was Prof. Dr. Sc. Josip Maškovic, and the Section of Thoracic Radiology (2001) - the first president was Prof. Dr. Sc. Zlata Herceg - Ivanovi. On several occasions the Section / the Society took part in specialised programmes of the international fair "Medicine and Technology" at the Zagreb Fair. The Symposium on Interventional Radiology (1981) - chaired by S. Šimunic; the Symposium on Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty - PTA (1983) - chaired by S. Šimunic / M. Šesto, (a book was published: "PTA renalnih, perifernih i koronarnih arterija. Šimunic S, Šesto M, editors. Zagreb; 1985"); the Symposium on Percutaneous Organ and Organic Systems Drainage (1985) - organized / chaired by S. Simunic / I. Obrez - Ljubljana; the Symposium on MRI in Clinical Medicine (1988) - chaired by S. Simunic / D. Ivancevic; the Symposium on Rationalization of Diagnostic Procedures in Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound (1987) - chaired by S. Simunic / S. Franic; the Symposium on Algorithm of Diagnostic Procedures in Neuroradiology (1999) -chaired by S. Simunic / N. Besenski; the Symposium on Teleradiology (1999) - chaired by A. Hebrang / S. Simunic and assoc. The emergence of therapeutic procedures in interventional radiology and our first experiences were presented at the CSR expert meeting: the Round Table on Interventional Radiology (1980) - chaired by S. Simunic, also published in a book: "Okrugli stol o intervencijskoj radiologiji. Simunic S, Gürtl R, editors, 1981". The CSR has had an intensive, long-term cooperation with members of other professions and institutions. It has endeavoured to approach and solve a number of common problems with the related Radiation Protection Association. It used to cooperate, at the time, with radiologists of the Department of Roentgenology and Physical Therapy of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb (Prof. Dr. Sc. Mensur Sehic). With the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance, the CSR discussed various professional, status and organisational issues on the regular basis. Expert meetings are well-attended and held regularly (9-10 times per year), in cooperation with other clinical professions (internal medicine specialists, paediatricians, neurosurgeons, urologists, orthopaedists, otorhinolaryngologists, etc.) Various business partners, manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, accessories and expandable supplies presented to us regular basis novelties in their assortment of products: Siemens, General Electric, Philips, Shimadzu, Bayer Health Care, Schering, Farma, Sonimed, Thomy Frey East, Mark/De Plano, Medtronic, OptiMed, Bard, Abbot, Bracco, Cook and many others. A long-term professional, loyal and friendly cooperation with the Hungarian Radiological Society ("Societatis Radiologorum Hungarorum") was particularly emphasized, dating back since 1985, when the Vereinbarung über die Ungarischen und Jugoslawischen Radiologischen Gesellschaften was signed (signatories: Gy Vargha and B. Fornet - Budapest; M. Radojevic - Skopje; S. Simunic -Zagreb and L. Popovic - Novi Sad. At the same year, during the International Fair "Medicine and Technology", at the Zagreb Fair, within the frame- work of professional events at the Symposium on Percutaneous Organ and Organic Systems Drainage, the lectures were given by Gy Vargha and T. Baranyai (Debrecen), L. Horvath (Pech) and Lelek (Zalaegerszeg). The cooperation was continued through regular joint Croatian-Hungarian Radiological Symposiums: Koszeg (1999) and Opatija (2000), after which Slovenia also joined this cooperation, so the symposia were thereafter held under the name Hungarian-Croatian-Slovenian Radiological Symposia: Pecs (2001), Maribor (2002), Koprivnica (2003), Heviz (2004), Maribor (2005). It was at that point decided that the symposia were to be held biannually from then: Vukovar (2007) and Kehidakustanyi (2009). The participants of the meeting in Vukovar visited and paid respects by placing wreaths at the Stone Cross, on the confluence of Vuka and Danube, and at the Memorial Cemetery of the Homeland War victims on Ovčara.2 The CSR gave an appreciation award to the Hungarian Radiological Society for the close long-term cooperation, and the same award was also given to the following individuals: Gy Vargha, G. Vadon, J. Kenez, B. Fornet, and L. Horvath at the congress in Tihany, in 1996. N. Bešenski was awarded a certificate - Honorary Member of the Hungarian Society of Neuroradiology (7th Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Society of Neuroradiology - Gyor 1997). The following colleagues were declared honorary members of the Societatis Radiologorum Hungarorum: N. Bešenski (Zagreb), K. Glavina (Osijek), S. Simunic (Zagreb / Osijek), I. Lovasic (Rijeka) and B. Brkljačic (Zagreb). It has become customary to participate in one another's national, i.e. Croatian and Hungarian, radiology congresses: in Miskolc 1994, Opatija 1994; Tihany 1996, Osijek 19983, Pecs 1998, Split 20024, etc., but also in the Hungarian Society of Neuroradiology congresses. The cooperation with the Združenje radiologov Slovenije (the Slovenian Association of Radiology) went back long ago. There used to be held (19581971) joint meetings of Croatian and Slovenian radiologists. The last one, the sixth expert meeting, was held in Zagreb, in 1971. At that point, the cooperation was developed on Croatian and Slovenian national radiology congresses: in Portorož 1996, Portorož 2000, Ljubljana 2004, Ptuj 2008. Moreover, the Croatian radiologists cooperated occasionally on expert meetings with the University Medical Center Ljubljana and the Maribor General Hospital / University Medical Centre Maribor. On the oc- FIGURE 2. The book of Edvard Glaser. Sto let rentgenskih žarko kozi prizmom medicine, veterine in medikohistorikov [100 years of the x-rays through the prism medicine, veterinary nad medical historyans]. Glaser E, editor. Maribor: Medikohistorična sekcija Slovenije, SZD [Section for the history of medicine, Slovenian Medical Society]; 1998.5 casion of the 100th anniversary of the Rontgen's discovery, the Medicohistorical Section of the Slovenian Medical Association published a book including an article by Croatian authors: "Lovasic I, Simunic S, Borkovic Z, Pavan G. Prve rentgenske snimke i prvi rentgen aparati u Hrvatskoj. (The first roentgen rays and roentgen apparatuses in Croatia). Maribor; 1995" (Figure 2). The international radiology cooperation to be mentioned is the participation of the Croatian delegation at the Founding Conference of the Radiological Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo 1996). The Society was TABLE 1. Publications of radiology that were published in Croatia with help of Croatian radiology experts and teachers Radojevic S, Nikolic S. Grizlica kolačiča i želuca [Ulcus duodeni et ventriculi]. Zagreb: Centralni rentgenološki institut Medicinskog fakulteta u Zagrebu [Central Roentgen Institute of Medical Faculty Zagreb]; 1927. (Figure 3) Popovic L, Smokvina M. Pregled naše rentgenološke literature. Zagreb: Centralni rentgenološki institut Medicinskog fakulteta u Zagrebu; 1927. Smokvina M. Klinčka rentgenologija, kosti izglobovi [Clinical roentgenology, bones and joints]. Zagreb: Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts; 1959. (Figure 4) Hodges FJ, Lampe I, Floyd HF. Radiology for Medical Students. [Radiologija za studente medicine]. 4th Edition. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publisher Inc.;1964; Zagreb: Školska knjige Zagreb; 1976 Petrovčic F. Leksikon radioloških pojmova. Zagreb: Leksikografski zavod M. Krleža Zagreb; 1977. Okrugli stol o intervencijskoj radiologiji. Šimunic S, Gurtl R, editors. Zagreb: Zavod za radiologiju KBC Zagreb; 1981.6 Intervencijska radiologinja - perkutana transluminalna angioplastika renalnih, koronarnihi perifernih arterija. Šimunic S, Šesto M, editor. Zagreb: Sekcija za radiologiju, Kardiološka i nefrološka sekcija Zbora liječnika Hrvatske; 1985.7 Intervencijska radiologija. Maškovic J, Boschi S, Stanič I, editors. Split; Sekcija za radiologiju Zbora liječnika Hrvatske - Podružnica Split; 1986.8_ Plavšic B. Radiologija probavnog kanala. Zagreb: Školska knjiga Zagreb; 1986. Petrovčic F. Opča radiologija. Zagreb: Sveučilišna naklada, Liber Zagreb; 1986. Hebrang A, Petrovčic F. Radijacija izaštita u medicinskoj dijagnostici. Zagreb, Beograd: Medicinska knjiga; 1987. Bešenski N, Škegro N. Radiografska tehnika skeletal. Zagreb: Školska knjiga Zagreb; 1987. Škarica R, Potočki K. Radiološki atlas reumatskih bolesti. Zagreb, Beograd: Medicinska knjiga; 1989. Plavšic B. Radiologija probavnog kanala. 2nd edition. Zagreb: Školska knjiga Zagreb; 1990. Radiologija. Agbaba M, Lovrenčic M, editors. 1st edition. Zagreb: Medicinska naklada Zagreb; 1994. WHO Scientific Group on Clinical Diagnostic Imaging. [Izbor dijagnostike u kliničkoj praksi - Izbor radioloških dijagnostičkih postupaka]. Hebrang A, translator and editor. Zagreb: HZZO; 1996. Frkovic M. Radiološki atlas probavnog sustava djece. Zagreb: Informator; 1998. Strugačevac P. Teorijska osnova imaging CT tehnike. Osijek: KB Osijek; 1999. Brkljačic B. Dopler krvnih žila. Zagreb: Medicinska naklada Zagreb; 2000. Radiologija. Hebrang A, Lovrenčic M, editors. 2nd edition. Zagreb: Medicinska naklada Zagreb; 2001. Chapman S, Nakilney R. Pomoč u radiološkoj diferencijal-noj dijagnostici. [Translation from English]. Gotovac N, editor. Požega: Self-published; 2005. Pichler E. Ultrazvučni atlas dojke-diferencijalna dijagnoza i intervencije. Zagreb: Školska knjiga Zagreb; 2005. Pavic L, Radoš M. Mali medicinski leksikon magnetne rezo- nancije. Zagreb: Školska knjiga Zagreb; 2005. Seminari iz kliničke radiologije. Jankovic S, editor. Split: MF Split; 20905. Stojanovic J. Trzajna ozljeda-riješena enigma. Zagreb: Sveučilišna tiskara; 2006. Radiologija. Hebrang A, Klaric-Čustovic R, editors. Zagreb: Medicinska naklada Zagreb; 2007.910 Miletic D. Skeletna radiografija. Rijeka: Glosa; 2008. Odabrana poglavlja intervencijske radiologije. Maškovic J, Jankovic S, editors. Split: MF Split; 2008. Dentalna radiografija. Jankovic S, Miletic D, editors. Split: MF Split; 2009. Brkljačic B. Vaskularni ultrazvuk. Zagreb: Medicinska naklada Zagreb; 2010. after that admitted to the European Association of Radiology (1999). The Croatian radiologists participated in congresses of the Radiological Society of the Medical Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo 1999, Tuzla 2003, Sarajevo 2007). The Croatian radiologists participated almost on the regular basis with lectures in congresses of the European Association of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, as well as in the International Congress of Radiology (ICR). They, for example, held five lectures and presented two posters in the Vienna ECR '93, while young radiologists, members of the CSR's Junior Radiologists Forum, won three Winners of the Day medals. We have been participating already for decades in expert meetings of the ALPE-ADRIA bordering countries, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, held in various towns. The examples of our participation are the following: "Gvozdanovic V, Nutrizio V, Simunic S. La nostra esperienza con Emi Scanner. Padova; 1975", and "Gvozdanovic V, Nutrizio V, Simunic S, Marinsek Cicin-Sain V. CT in the Diagnostic Acousticus Neurinoma". There are meetings of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE), whose members are: Z. Cacic, A. Hebrang, J. Maskovic, S. Simunic, L. Camby-Sapunar, V. Vidjak, V. Tkalec, held every second year in various European towns, with the participation of a dozen or more Croatian radiologists. Our teachers and the then authorities on radiology (S. Kadrnka, M. Smokvina, V. Gvozdanovic, D. Katunaric, M. Basic), owing to their personal acquaintances and friendships, to relations and cooperation with leading European and other authorities on radiology, organised in those times the following participation and lectures: "Jirout J. Pneumomyelography of the Cervical Spine. Prague; 1965"; "Vieten H. Die Methoden der Kontrastmitteldarstellung des Herzens und der großen Gefäße deren Indikationen und Gefahren. Düsseldorf ; 1967"; "Wellauer J. Kontrastmittel Probleme in der modernen Röntgendiagnostik. Zurich; 1967"; Bodar P. La radiologie du grêle (maladie de Crohn-Tuberculose-Tumeurs"). Louvain, Belgium; 1968"; Oliva L. Studio radiologico dell'incontinenza urinaria femminile. Siena; 1968". In more recent times, and through the offices of D. Kovacevic, M. Lovrencic, N. Besenski, S. Simunic, V. Vidjak, B. Brkljacic and others, we were hosts to S. Wallace (Houston/USA), Pocajt (Maribor), D. Pavcnik (Ljubljana), H. Hricak and A. Margulis (San Francisco/USA), J. Matela (Maribor), L. Horvath, C. Focafy, M. Kovey (Pecs/Hungary); Ufflacker (Charleston/USA), and others. The CSR and its members were entrusted the organisation of the "Workshop - New Application of CT and MRI" - Elscint, Zagreb, 1996; "Visiting Junior Radiologists to Eastern Europe", Zagreb, 1995, 1997; a "Crash Course in CT", on the occasion of the acquisition of a large number of CT devices by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia, and the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance. It is worth remembering, recording and saving from oblivion the works on radiology, from the old days, but also from the most recent times, written by radiology experts and teachers. Among them, the book of Hodges et al was the first comprehensive teaching material and great help to students in acquiring necessary knowledge, in addition to lectures, seminars and exercises for the Radiology course (Table 1). In addition to the publications listed in Table 1, the CSR members radiologists published countless number of articles and chapters in journals, encyclopaedias, and books, both in Croatia and around the world, those being not only in the field of radiology but also in other professions: Marotti M, Klaric-Custovic R, Lovrenčic M, Krolo I, Papa J, Agbaba M, Radanovic B, Mandic A, Štern-Padovan R, Maškovic J, Sučic Z, Cavka K, Glavina K, Borkovic Z, Ivanovi-Herceg Z, Camby-Sapunar L, Brkljačic B, Kalousek M, Brajša M, Drinkovic I, Jakovac I, Gurtl R, Klenkar M, Čičin-Šain Š, Marinšek- Cičin-Šain V, Sabolic A, Prpic-Hartl V, Bešenski N., S. Šimunic and many more. The then Section of Radiology, in cooperation with the central health institutions (the then University Hospital "Dr. M. Stojanovic" in Zagreb, and the University Hospital Centre Zagreb), organized memorial meetings: a Memorial Meeting Dedicated to the 5th Anniversary of he Death of Prof. dr. Silvije Kadrnka (1902-1965) - in 1970, and an In Memoriam Symposium "Vladimir Gvozdanovic" (1914-1979) - in 1987. A Celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the Croatian Society of Radiology (1928-1993) was held, with art programme and a performance by the Physicians Singers of Zagreb choir, and a historical overview in presence of numerous members of the CSR and the invitees. On that occasion, the first logo of the CSR was also presented, designed by Krešimir Ivanček, academic painter - graphic artist, Studio Color Soft, of Bjelovar, and after our ideas and efforts made by Prim. Dr. Luka Ježek, Centralni Rentgenološki Institut medrcunskoo Fakulteta u Zagrebu lil GRIZLICA KOLAČIČA I ŽELUCA