To outline the development of smoking as a health issue as it was covered by magazines, a study tested the hypotheses that (1) the pattern of media attention to the issue would begin in professional and scientific journals, expand into books and government publications, and then appear in consumer magazines; and (2) the distribution of subtopics within the issue would show that a specific subtopic was given wide attention at a particular period. To test the hypotheses, the number of articles on smoking published each year as indexed in "Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature," the "Current List of Medical Literature," and the "Cumulated Index Medicus" was counted. Titles were not categorized for medical journal articles as they primarily concerned physiological effects of cigarettes and smoke. Titles listed in the "Reader's Guide" were categorized according to the following subjects: smoking and health, quitting the habit, antismoking campaigns, nonsmoker's rights, consumer information, ethics, youth, business, advertising, and other tobacco products. Data revealed that, in fact, the earliest coverage of the issue appeared in medical journals, then science periodicals, and finally general interest magazines. However, it was found that popular magazines covered the issue before government publications and books, and played an important role in promoting awareness of the issue. Finally, the second hypothesis was illustrated by change in emphasis over time from articles on smokers' health to ones concerning ethics. (CRH)