Genitourinary medicine and the Internet.

The Internet is now regarded as a rapid and cost-effective means of disseminating information world-wide. As biomedical resources become increasingly available on the Internet, it will prove an invaluable aid to undergraduate education, clinical research, and continuing medical education. It will also provide members of the public direct access to a vast range of medical information. This column aims to provide readers of Genitourinary Medicine with a list of Internet sites and facilities relevant to the pursuit of their clinical and research interests in genitourinary and HIV medicine. It should also be of interest to a wider readership wishing to know more about sexual health issues and where and how this information can be retrieved on the Internet. Much of the interest relating to the Internet derives from the facilities available through its uniform user-friendly interface, the World Wide Web (WWW, the Web). The Web makes full use of extensive inter-network connectivity through hypertext links, allowing a thread of related information to be electronically linked into a pathway chosen by the user. Web browsers, the programs which provide the "front end" for accessing the Web, can download files from the Internet, allow connection to other Internet facilities such as gopher and ftp (file transfer protocol), print out Web pages, and place bookmarks of Web site addresses in a directory for future retrieval. This obviates the necessity of retyping the Web address each time the site is accessed. The latest Browsers such as Netscape v2.0 support extensions which specify a background to Web pages, background downloading and Web security features which are likely to be the prelude to secure financial transactions on the Internet. Readers wishing to learn more about connecting to and using the facilities on the Internet, related terminology and its medical applications are encouraged to consult the references given below.' 2 This first article lists Web sites dealing in sexually transmitted diseases and safer sex, together with a selection of biomedical journals and Internet search sites. Future papers will deal with sites specific to HIV infection and AIDS, newsgroups, research institutes and additional gopher and ftp addresses for publications on sexually-transmitted diseases and AIDS. Although there will be regular updating, it is hoped that readers will submit lists of Internet sites which they feel may be relevant to the speciality and worthy of mention. Lists of sites from outside the USA would be particularly welcome! Please submit your lists and any comments relating to this column to Dr Richard Lau, Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Beckenham Hospital, Croydon Rd, Beckenham BR3 3QL, UK; e-mail [email protected].