Burns aims to foster the exchange of information among all engaged in preventing and treating the effects of thermal injury. The journal focuses on clinical, scientific and social aspects of these injuries and covers the prevention of thermal injury, the epidemiology of such injuries and all aspects of treatment. Regular features include clinical and scientific papers; state of the art reviews; case reports and descriptions of burn-care in practice; listings of current relevant literature and reviews of selected articles. Topics covered by Burns include: the effects of fire smoke on man and animals, their tissues and cells; the responses to, and treatment of, patients and animals with chemical injuries to the skin; the biological and clinical effects of cold injuries; surgical techniques which are, or may be relevant to the treatment of burned patients during the acute or reconstructive phase following injury; well-controlled laboratory studies of the effectiveness of anti-microbial agents on appropriate micro-organisms; the body's responses to inflammatory or anti-inflammatory agents and other compounds used to modify the physiological and cellular responses to the injury; experimental studies of burn injury and the outcomes of burn wound healing. Burns seeks to publish suitable material submitted by all professions involved in the care, treatment and prevention of burn injuries.