[The history of urologic journalism in Spain (II). Chronology of Spanish publications specialized in urologic topics].

The history of Spanish urological periodicals, like that of the surgical specialties, encompasses several periods as the specialties emerge, are then defined and finally established. It is difficult to determine precisely when the urological specialty began in Spain, since there were surgeons with some dedication to Urology early in the 19th century. Perhaps it began in 1884, when the first service dedicated to the diseases of the urinary tract was created at the Instituto de Terapéutica Operatoria (Institute of Surgical Therapeutics) of the Hospital de la Princesa in Madrid. Although some periodicals with urological descriptions that date back to an earlier period (1800-1850) can be found, it is widely recognized that regular publication of literature and periodicals on the urinary tract started in the mid-19th century, when 'El Especialista' (The Specialist) first appeared in Madrid in 1859. This was the first non monographic specialized periodical where the section 'Genitourinary Disorders' appeared for the first time together with three other specialties. During this second period, journal names were nonspecific or too comprehensive to the point that other medical fields became indiscernible, but they became more explicit as the specialties became more defined. In 1887, the first issue of 'Gaceta de Enfermedades de los Organos Génito-Urinarios' (Gazette of Diseases of the Genitourinary Organs) was published in Madrid. It was the first Spanish journal dedicated exclusively to urological topics. It ushered in a third period, which can be defined as the period of specialized monographic publications, that concluded in 1911 with the founding of the Asociación Española de Urología (Spanish Urological Society). The present article reviews the historical and bibliographical data concerning the six periodicals that were established during these two latter periods.