Editor,—The cri de coeur from Martin Moncrieff is timely.1 He should not be coy about being old fashioned if that is what it takes to be courteous. What he is essentially highlighting is what is universally known as the OBE, namely ‘other beggar’s efforts’, and clearly there has been a marked increase in questionnaire distribution and publications based on time consuming completion of forms by others without due acknowledgment of their input.

However, to link those justifiable complaints to criticism about the Medical Research Council …