Cover picture: In the role of Douglas Ross MD, George Clooney smoulders his way through hospital life in American TV drama ER. Picture courtesy of the Kobal collection.		Student BMJ August 1998 volume 6 Editorials 266 Britain to join international medical student federation 267 Planning the United Kingdom's medical workforce 268 All changed, changed utterly News and student politics 270 Electromagnetic fields may be carcinogenic National guidance is needed for Viagra Elective caesarean and zidovudine cuts HIV transmission Gap in HIV infection widens Cigarette ingredients must be revealed Doctors seeking hospital training in US face new hurdles Deal expected over breast implants Education 273 Preoperative assessment for house officers 276 Anna Donald on the Bristol case 276 Examining young children 278 Paediatric resuscitation 280 Quality of life and its assessment 282 The fall and rise of the medicinal leech 284 Nitric oxide: a guide to its biology and clinical importance 286 You should know, you're a medic: How credible is the science behind cosmetic skin creams? 288 Net.Philes 289 Coping with loss: The doctor's losses: ideals versus realities 291 ABC of allergies: The epidemiology of allergic disease Papers 295 Evidence based case report: Twenty year cough in a non-smoker Life 297 Reflections on being a house officer 299 Looking back 300 Flying the nest 302 Planning your elective - Canada 303 Expedition to Vancouver Island, Canada, July - August 1997 303 The not-so-secret diary of a medical student Letters 304 Teaching styles must be better balanced Intercalating helps personal development and medical skills Mass media and researchers must learn to communicate Soundings 305 Hospital acquired inflection 305 One year on Reviews 306 Best books: Time and the hour runs through the roughest day 307 The God of Small Things Minerva 264 Editor's choice Congratulations to all of you who began a lifetime of medical practice this month. Congratulations too, for finding ten minutes to sit down and read the studentBMJ. Whether you are feeling elated, depressed, or simply confused reading the experiences of 5 house officers on pages 297-9 should reassure you that you're not alone. Anita Goraya, on page 299, offers some comforting insights to keep you going, and there's more pastoral advice on page 289 where Glin Bennet talks you through loss of sleep and loss of idealism. For practical help, grab one of the many handbooks reviewed on page 306, or read how to prepare patients for surgery on pages 273-5. For light relief turn to Tamsin Radford and friends on page 303, or Helen Burnett on page 305 who says "get plenty of sleep, smile sweetly at radiologists, and paint your boss's face on a crate, it'll be fine". Our paper this month is an evidence based case report on pages 295-6 which, says Fiona Godlee, is an attempt to bridge the gap between research results derived from populations, and the inconveniently unique patient sitting in front of you. In this one Paul Glasziou describes the evidence trail that helped him cure a chronic cough. Finally, if it all gets too much and you begin to age visibly over the next few months, Rodney Sinclair warns against wasting money on anti-wrinkle creams on pages 286-7. They may make you feel good, he says, but your friends won't notice the difference. Stick to dark glasses or a paper bag. As a last resort you could also try medicinal leeches which are making a come back according to Robert Weinkove on pages 282-3. Try to remember to take them off before hitting the wards though.