In this issue the eclecticism of public health is most apparent, and our new sections begin to demonstrate the tapestry of the discipline. From scandals in medical practice, with organ retention at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, to the public health implications of the terrorist attack on the World TradeCenter in New York, this issue also pays tribute to a collaboration between public health and the arts...and there is also space for significant contributions on a range of epidemiological research and methods that take forward our knowledge-base in practical ways. We hope that by now the philosophy that we set out four years ago when we took over as editors has been translated into a meaningful new feel to this journal as one that strives for global relevance, scientific excellence and a practical orientation, speaking not only to a multi-disciplinary practitioner body, but also to the public at large. We will continue to welcome suggestions and ideas and novel contributions that help bring public health to life.