It was said some years ago that «the shortest line inscience, as well as in love, is not the straight one»1. Thisturned out to be true for Acta Médica del Valle, ascientific journal launched in Cali, Colombia in 1970,when Rodrigo Guerrero et al., dreamt of having aperiodical to disseminate medical information –primarily in southwestern Colombia. Moreover, JorgeLega Siccar, president of this journal’s first editorialcommittee, envisioned that manuscripts coming fromthe «whole republic», as well as from overseas, wouldarrive at the editorial office of the newly born scientificjournal. And they accomplished it