Alex Preda
University of Edinburgh
cambridge university press
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First published in print format 2005
isbn-13 978-0-511-08045-6 eBook (NetLibrary) isbn-10 0-511-08045-x eBook (NetLibrary)
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For Roxana and Dante virus (vires), n., pl. -ruses.i. an infectious agent, esp. any of a group of ultramicroscopic, infectious agents that reproduce only in living cells [... ] 5. a corrupting influence on morals or the intellect; poison [...]
(Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the
English Language)
SIR, [... ] AIDS appeared out of the blue a few years ago and, apart from causing immunodeficiency, it has been responsible for two other syndromes - the "minimum publishable unit syndrome" (MPUS) and the "how many authors can I cram onto one paper syndrome" (HMACICOOPS). These syndromes may well be responsible for as many deaths as AIDS itself. Many important medical papers must have been squeezed out by the interminable reporting of AIDS, and, more importantly, a great deal of useful and potentially more beneficial research has not been founded or carried out because so many scientists have jumped on the AIDS bandwagon knowing that most of their work, whatever the results, will be published in reputable journals, which seem to be AIDS struck. [... ] It is this sort of publication that has encouraged MPUS and HMACICOOPS to such an extent that they threaten to strangle our journals and stop good work being done or published. It is time journals of international repute took a stand and stamped these malignant syndromes out.
(A. R. Mellersh, "AIDS and Authors," The Lancet 11/8393, July 7, 1984, p. 41)
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