The European Society for Pediatric Radiology is entering its fourth decade of existence, and the event merits reflection so as to better appreciate where it comes from and where its subspeciality stands today, also in order to understand the colleagues from the different areas in Europe. Hopefully pediatric radiology in Europe will thereby be strengthened now that old barriers have fallen.

The European Society for Pediatric Radiology is entering its fourth decade of existence, and the event merits reflection so as to better appreciate where it comes from and where its subspeciality stands today, also in order to understand the colleagues from the different areas in Europe. Hopefully pediatric radiology in Europe will thereby be strengthened now that old barriers have fallen.

General Introduction.- Emergence of Pediatric Radiology in France.- Development of Paediatric Radiology in Scandinavia and Finland.- Development of Pediatric Radiology in Austria.- The History of Pediatric Radiology in Czechoslovakia.- The History of Paediatric Radiology in Germany.- Paediatric Radiology in Great Britain and Ireland.- The History of Pediatric Radiology in Hungary.- Paediatric Radiology in Italy: Its Status Before and After the Foundation of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology.- Paediatric Radiology in the Netherlands.- Pediatric Radiology in Poland.- The History of Pediatric Radiology in Romania.- Pediatric Radiology in Spain.- The History of Pediatric Radiology in Switzerland.

Our society is entering its fourth decade of existence, as of the 30th Annual Meeting in London, and we felt that this event merited reflection - a look back into the past - so as to better appreciate where we come from and where our sub speciality stands today, also in order to understand our colleagues from the different areas in Europe. It is our hope that paediatric radiology in Europe will thereby be strengthened now that old barriers have fallen. At the second conjoint meeting of the ESPR and the SPR in Stockholm in 1991 a group of senior pediatric radiologists from all parts of Europe who felt that this occasion should be marked took the initiative to produce a book on the history of paediatric radiology focussing on the develop ments leading to the creation of the ESPR. We thank all the colleagues who participated in the initial meeting to plan this book in Stockholm in 1991 and again at the Budapest Meeting in 1992 and who subsequently prepared contributions for it. These are the authors of the respective chapters and with them we hope that our readers will appreciate this effort. Unfortunately, we were not able to cover every European country, in spite of our attempt to do so.