The past as prologue to the future: the times, they've been a-changin'.

“[A]n overview of the past suggests that today’s cial Issue of Development and Psychopatholinvestigators are as much determined by history as ogy that would challenge us, as a field, to they are makers of it.” (Cairns, 1983, p. 90) grapple with the past and, simultaneously, look toward the future. This Special Issue repAs we move forward in the new millennium, resents an important opportunity for taking we are all provided with an opportunity to stock, and for assessing progress in our young look back at scientific events, advances, and discipline. disappointments that have occurred over the In a recent editorial published in The New last century and that have brought us to our England Journal of Medicine (The Editors, current state of knowledge in the field of de2000), the most important developments of velopmental psychopathology. As we reflect the past 1000 years that altered the face of on historical events in the context of the fuclinical medicine were chosen. Included ture that awaits us, we also are provided with among the editors’ selections for the most ima rare window for examining issues that are portant medical developments of the past millikely to be salient in the next century. This lennium were the elucidation of human anatcrossroads between the past and the future can omy and physiology; the discovery of cells present a venue for reflection, creativity, and and their substructures; the explication of the prognostication regarding challenges and opchemistry of life; the discovery of the relation portunities the future may hold. It is with this of microbes to disease; the articulation of inperspective in mind that we invited a distinheritance and genetics; knowledge of the imguished group of scholars to contribute papers mune system; the emergence of body imto this Special Issue. Our goal was to seize aging; and the development of molecular upon this historical occasion to publish a Spepharmacotherapy. Despite the astounding