The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In "Looking Back 50 Years in Hospital Administration," Graham and Sibbald identify five principal themes in the 1962 issues of Hospital Administration in Canada: the evolution of nursing, funding and legislation, hospital design, patient care and infection control and leadership. These themes are of course consistent with thematic concerns regarding healthcare in 2012; in some ways, this consistency over 50 years is disappointing, but not surprising. This commentary examines some of the specific themes.

Aboriginal child health and the social determinants: why are these children so disadvantaged?

Canada's original people consist of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. Their estimated population is 1.17 million.

Excess prevalence of non diabetic renal disease in native American children in Manitoba.

We undertook a 1-year prospective point prevalence study to test the hypothesis that there is an excess of non-diabetic renal disease in native American children; 29.6% (73/247) of the population attending the only regional pediatric nephrology clinic in 1993 were native compared with 8.2% of the Manitoba population in this age group (odds ratio = 4.

Continuity of pediatric ambulatory care in a universally insured population.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of continuity of care over a 5-year period in a complete cohort of urban children universally insured for medical care provided under fee-for-service reimbursement.

Method: All children enrolled in the study were born to women living in metropolitan Winnipeg between July 1, 1987 and December 31, 1988 (N = 12,590). All ambulatory physician services for this group were enumerated from computerized administrative databases for the period from birth through 60 months.

Epidemiology of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Manitoba, Canada, 1975-92: cycles in incidence.

Objective: To determine the yearly incidence of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and to seek correlations between this and cyclic infections occurring in the province of Manitoba, Canada, during the same period.

Methods: An estimate of the incidence of JRA in Manitoba was determined from a disease registry of the Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic, Children's Hospital, Winnipeg. The numbers of confirmed Mycoplasma pneumoniae and viral respiratory infections were determined from annual reports of Cadham Provincial Laboratory.

Vitamin D deficiency in a Manitoba community.

Objective: Using a cross-sectional survey, to investigate the vitamin D status of a random sample of 80 mother-child pairs (child age 3-24 months) in a Manitoba community with a high incidence of rickets.

Method: A questionnaire on feeding habits, gestational history, maternal diet and vitamin supplements was administered to mothers in their homes with the assistance of a local interpreter. Venous blood was collected from both mother and child for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

Group A streptococcal pharyngeal carriage, pharyngitis, and impetigo in two northern Canadian native communities.

The prevalence of pharyngeal carriage of group A streptococci, streptococcal pharyngitis, and impetigo was determined in schoolchildren in two northern communities, one Inuit (mean number of schoolchildren surveyed, 233) and one native Indian (mean number of schoolchildren surveyed, 349). At three surveys from November 1984 to May 1985, pharyngeal group A streptococcal carriage was 5.3%, 22%, and 34% in the Inuit community and 5.

Erythromycin-resistant group G streptococci in an isolated northern Canadian community.

The susceptibility of groups A, C, and G streptococci isolated from pharynx or skin in two northern Canadian native communities during a one year study of the epidemiology of streptococcal infection was determined for penicillin, erythromycin and clindamycin using an agar dilution method. Organisms studied included 725 group A, 82 group C, and 184 group G streptococci. All organisms were susceptible to penicillin (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] range less than 0.

The Health of Canada's Native People: An Overview.

The health of Canada's Native people has improved considerably over the last 50 years. Nonetheless, standard rates of health measurement, including mortality and morbidity, remain remarkably elevated. There now exists a coincident burden of infectious and degenerative or chronic illness.

Haemophilus influenzae meningitis in Manitoba and the Keewatin District, NWT: potential for mass vaccination.

A community-based surveillance study of all central nervous system infections was carried out in Manitoba and the Keewatin District, NWT, between Apr. 1, 1981, and Mar. 31, 1984.