Drug on the market
Sir: I watched Panorama earlier this month, and listened to Dr Charles Fletcher (whose sincerity and knowledge on the subject I admire) condemning the Govern- ment for their apathy, or even worse, their deliberate refusal to act for fear of loss of revenue, and I was dismayed that Dr Fletcher missed the opportunity to point out that as long as, to quote only a few examples:
(a) doctors, even of consultant status, and not infrequently tinder large 'No Smoking' signs in hos- pital corridors, out-patient halls, consulting rooms etc, general practitioners in their surgeries—and in their patients' homes, nurses and ancillary medical staff, smoke in the presence of their patients; (b) university professors, lec- turers, librarians, schoolmasters (and mistresses), smoke on official premises, in the presence of their students and pupils; (c) 'television personalities' who are subjects of hero-worship and presumably are selected by virtue of their intelligence, expert know- ledge and social conscience, to dis- cuss ;natters of some importance to the community (or who are being interviewed) smoke in front of mil- lions of viewers;
(d) students, including medical students, smoke during academic lectures
—all of us who are intelligent enough to appreciate the grave dan- ger of smoking, share the guilt with the Government.
F. Kellerman Chest Clinic, St Mary's Hospital, Colchester, Essex
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