In 1997, Tobacco Control devoted its Autumn issue to papers examining aspects of tobacco control and aging. We joined nearly 100 other journals in a globally coordinated effort to highlight research and policy issues arising in the field of aging.1 2 In 1999, we have again agreed to participate in a similar publishing exercise. This time, following votes from the editors of 89 journals, the global theme will explore the impact of new technologies in medicine.

There are many and diverse examples of the developing or actual use of technology in tobacco control. Some that occur to us are the following.

• The use of the world wide web and the internet in tobacco control advocacy, and particularly in the publication and dissemination of internal tobacco industry documents

• The development of personal and wall monitors to measure environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)

• Efforts by the tobacco industry to promote air-conditioning solutions for ETS exposure

• New drugs and products to assist in smoking cessation

• Products to reduce tar and nicotine delivery

• Urine cotinine dipsticks

• Medical record tracking systems useful in smoking cessation

• Packaging technology and its implications for microbranding and producing health warnings in many different languages in nations with diverse linguistic groupings

• Laser technology in advertising: implications for inserting or deleting tobacco advertising in television broadcasts of tobacco-sponsored events

• Advances in the diagnosis, investigation, and treatment of tobacco-related diseases (for example, in genetics, surgery, nanotechnology, telemedicine, targeted pharmaceuticals and radiotherapy) and the impact of these on public health efforts to prevent tobacco-caused disease.

We plan to publish the issue in Autumn (September/October) 1999, and we invite authors to submit papers for peer review on these or other relevant issues for arrival in the journal’s editorial office on or before 1 March 1999.

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Smokes in the movies. “The Full Monty”, described as “the most successful British picture of all time”, follows the exploits of six unemployed Sheffield steelworkers in their attempt to earn money by becoming strippers and going “the full Monty” (removing everything).