The Medical Manpower and Education Division of the Department of Health publishes information in this Journal each year on the current state of medical and dental manpower in England and Wales, to assist medical and dental students and newly-qualified doctors and dentists in their career choices. Additional information can be obtained from the national and regional census tables which are usually published by the Department of Health each Autumn. These are circulated widely to all health authorities, postgraduate deans and clinical tutors. Information based on census data is useful, but is always for the previous year. It should be used to consider trends in medical manpower prospects.