Index Medicus to Cease as Print Publication - The printed Index Medicus, started by John Shaw Billings in 1879 and published for 125 consecutive years, will cease at the end of 2004. Once an indispensable tool for health professionals and librarians, it is now a seldom used alternative to PubMed® and other Internet-based products that contain the database from which Index Medicus has been generated for nearly 40 years - NLM