Health and illness know no frontiers. The sciences that investigate them are perhaps the least affected by cultural variations. The systems for delivering health care in different countries of Europe have more common features than differences, despite political and economic influences. As a result European medical librarians and information workers have a great deal in common, regardless of the institution they work for or the country where they live. This realisation led to the formation of EAHIL to improve library services to the health professions by cooperation and shared experience across national boundaries.