Since the publication of Hospital Computer Systems, edited by Morris F. Collen in 1974, many reviews have appeared presenting sound analyses and evaluations of the of hospital information systems (HIS). Many of latest developments and design them were published within the IMIA Working Group 10 which is devoted to HIS but still an updated and critical overview was lacking which reviews what has been achieved since then and which also takes a inspired glance into the future. As the quotation from Romain Rolland introducing this latest work by Rudi van de Velde states "/ love and admire the past...