ABSTRACT
A notable feature of society in the 1980s is the interest now taken by all in what, but a generation ago, was the preoccupation of the few. The origins of this interest are to be found in part in the remarkable developments in the physical sciences, for which the current achievements of Voyager II, the space-probe that met with the planet Uranus, provides an apt example, in the biological sciences with the developments in genetic engineering, and not least in the advances made in medicine. But the reasons for the widespread development of this interest lie with the prominent role played in the field of communication by the written word, the popular press, the specialised magazines, and perhaps predominantly by television and radio.
