The science of biomedical computing.

1. IntroductionThis is a remarkably exciting time to be involved professionally in the field of medical informatics. The underlying scientific principles are beginning to be identified and defined, educators are increasingly acknowledging the importance of the field for physicians of the present and future, and the technology itself is growing at rates that make the future of the field both unbounded and impossible to predict. One has the sense that what was once a field for pioneers is now reaching the stage of established settlements, with a history, traditions, and a feel of permanence.