Introduction: `Burning Issues': an introduction to selected papers from the 10th International Symposium in Medical Geography, Manchester 2003.

The article presents a brief introduction of "10th International Symposium in Medical Geography," which was held in Manchester, England in the year of 2003. It represents a selection of papers presented at the Symposium. The conference attracted participants from 23 countries and saw over 100 presentations given over 4 days. The program covered the breadth of contemporary research in medical/health geographies with sessions focusing on issues of health, disease as well as qualitative and quantitative methods. The breadth of papers presented reflected the considerable changes seen in medical geography over the last decade which has, in many ways, reinvigorated our sub-discipline.