Rheumatology constantly is perceived is a erroneous fashion, and it is considered in a wrong way that does not correspond with the facts and is based on traditional view on the specialty as it was a half century ago. The view may be supported by many examples like consideration of all patients with rheumatic diseases as elderly individuals only or application of determination of ASO titer as highly applicable rheumatological index.

Writing about contemporary rheumatology, I do not want to abuse the lofty words although such descriptions like “a golden age of rheumatology” have been presented by several rheumatologists. These utterances are probably exaggerated but they indicate for significance of the changes that have happened in management of some inflammatory diseases as well as for widening of diagnostic possibilities. A number of these problems are reviewed in papers by leading Polish rheumatologists collected in two issues of “Postępy Nauk Medycznych” (“Progress in Medicine”). The first part of the reviews appeared in the supplement no 2 that was printed in 2011 and remaining articles were published in the present issue. All papers were written in honor of my sixtieth birthday and were dedicated to me. It is a great honor to me as well as a source of joy, and I wish to express my cordial thanks to all the authors.

Professor Stefan Mackiewicz reviews development of rheumatology in historical perspective. He described our past and discussed how much tasks are in front of us, both scientific and clinical. “The time factor” remains of a great importance in patients with inflammatory disorders. It means diagnosis of these diseases should be made as early as possible and early beginning of treatment allows reduction of the inflammatory process, which in turn results in damage of the musculoskeletal system, systemic manifestations and shortening of the patients’ life. This problem is discussed in papers of Professor Anna Filipowicz-Sosnowska (early rheumatoid arthritis) and Professor Piotr Wiland (early diagnosis of seronegative spondyloarthropathies). Diagnostics is reviewed in papers on imagining techniques by Professor Małgorzata Wisłowska (co-author: Dr Magdalena Matryba) and on determination of autoantibodies by Professor Mariusz Puszczewicz (co-author: Dr Grażyna Białkowska-Puszczewicz).

Pain is the main symptom and is a factor causing that patients are going to see the doctor. Treatment of pain in rheumatology is a subject of the paper by Professor Witold Tłustochowicz (co-author: Dr Dariusz Niedziałek). A holistic view on patients with chronic disorders, including musculoskeletal diseases is described in the paper on psychological problems in patients with rheumatic diseases by Professor Anna Jędryka-Góral (co-author: Dr Ida Dobrucka).