What happened in the world of haematology in the latter half of the last millennium and how has this been reflected in the pages of JCP? A sample, chosen by me, of a few papers published early, somewhat later, and much more recently in the Journal's publishing history will certainly illustrate my enthusiasms, even if they will not answer either question satisfactorily for many haematologists.

In the very early days, Dacie and White¹ published a review (in those days reviews were often both scholarly and truly elegantly written affairs, and this is such an example) of erythropoiesis and its study by bone marrow biopsy. I know microscope lenses and condensers have improved enormously since then, as has …