Revolution

After the establishment of written language, the most revolutionary development in human communication was the invention of the printing press in the 15 th century (1). Before then, books were handwritten, rare, and expensive. Medieval monasteries supported the transcription of new manuscripts from existing ones, and errors were common because of spelling, handwriting, and abbreviation idiosyncrasies. Because opportunities to read were few, even members of noble families were often illiterate. The transmission of most information was oral and depended on memory (1). After the printing press was invented, its use spread rapidly through Europe. Within 50 years, eight million books were printed for multiple disciplines, including religion, law, and medicine (1). Some of the most common publications were " how-to " manuals. These instructional books, predat-ing the Dummies guides by half a millennium, allowed anyone to learn new skills on topics such as herbal remedies, money management, letter writing, and cooking (2). The exchange of technical information no longer relied primarily on memory, and errors were markedly reduced (1). But the true revolution was the societal change initiated by books. Books communicated the breadth of European culture to middle-class households, and literacy gained value among the populace. National identities developed as languages became formalized in print (2). The natural sciences advanced because scholars were able to refer to standardized concepts, definitions, texts, and images. Empirical observations were published and reviewed by other scientists and became the gold standard for scientific endeavor (1). Another communication transformation occurred during the late 20 th century: the Internet. At first, during the 1970s, the Internet offered only a few military and academic applications. Much like the illiterate masses of the Middle Ages who had no books and could not read, most people 30 years ago had no access to Internet information and no skills to achieve that access. This changed by the 1990s with the convenience of personal computers, e-mail, and the Web. Today, anyone with basic computer skills can walk through the doors of a cyber café and transmit data to the other side of the globe. This issue of Preventing Chronic Disease explores the application of technology to public health and chronic disease. Wagner et al describe Internet use for health information by people who have one or more of five common chronic conditions: hypertension, diabetes, cancer, heart problems, and depression (3). Block et al outline a worksite nutrition intervention program based …