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Magazines for medical students
The student BMJ isn't the only dedicated journal for medical students. The BMA News Review has recently given the best medical students magazine and newspaper of the year award to Northwing, which is published by students at Sheffield University. A selection of articles can be found on the web from where you can trace student BMJ editor Jessica Westall's humble beginnings (www.shef.ac.uk/~tms /nthwing/index.html). Make sure you read an "An interview with the doc" if you are considering a career in pathology (www.shef.ac.uk/~tms/nthwing/cotton.html)

Oxford University have produced a very professional journal in the shape of the Oxford Gazette (users.ox.ac.
uk/~gazette/). The news section is the most interesting, in which the developments in medical science are discussed.

For a savage look at medical school life, check out Suture, the magazine compiled by students from the King's Medical School. Librarians, psychiatrists and nurses might want to avoid the satire (www.kcl.ac.uk
/kis/SU/kcsmd /publications /suturetop.html). However, the last issue posted on the web was in June 1996, give us more please.

First aid
It is possible to get three years into your medical course without being taught any practical procedures. Make the effort to learn some basic first aid yourself using the web. First aid online gives a run-down on how to handle everyday burns, bruises and bites which, being a medical student, you may be expected to deal with (www.prairienet.org/~autumn/firstaid/). A more comprehensive reference from the US Department of Labor includes information about varieties of snake, centipede and tarantula bites as well as how to improvise a stretcher (www.medaccess.com/first_aid/FA_
TOC.htm). Finally, a pocket guide to performing cardiopulmonary resusitationcan can be printed out from (weber.u.washington.edu/~gingy/cpr.html).

AIDS/HIV
The AIDS epidemic raises ethical issues about treatment and how far doctors should go to find cures. For instance, ethical objections have been raised about placebo-controlled AZT trials in developing countries. The two sides of the argument are debated on HIV InSite (hivinsite.ucsf.edu/). A detailed run-down of the latest experimental treatments for HIV and alternative AIDS' therapies is available from The Body (www.thebody.com/cgi-bin/body.cgi)