Technology can sometimes diminish or eliminate the consequences of foolish or indulgent behaviour. Obesity can be countered by the use of diet foods, and excess drinking ameliorated by low-alcohol beers.

Contraceptives remove some of the consequences of casual sex, and low-tar cigarettes might reduce some health hazards. The couch potato can lie down watching TV while a muscle vibrator exercises the stomach. Science has developed several products which enable people to get away with otherwise damaging behaviour.

Richard Irving reports in the Times on plans by Epitan to market the drug Melanotan to supply a sun-tan without the need for harmful exposure to bright sunlight, or recourse to tanning salons whose regular use may carry risks. It works by encouraging the body to produce Melanin in its brown-black form which helps block out the sun’s harmful effects.

The drug will initially be available in injection form at a cost of about £105. The jab takes about a week to work and lasts for between 60 to 90 days.

It sounds like a way to acquire the good-looking tan, but without the health risks. Ah, but there's more:

Originally developed by scientists from the University of Arizona, Melanotan could have two other potentially lucrative uses. The first is that in sufficient quantities it appears to suppress the appetite; the second is that it appears to ease erectile dysfunction.

The major problem with what appears to be a significant advancement in lifestyle choices is that it all seems too good to be true!