Editor,—I was very disappointed to see that the first contribution to the Controversy series was not written by a paediatrician. There are plenty of controversial topics in paediatrics, including the one cited. There are also plenty of paediatricians perfectly qualified to take part in informed debate about them, again including the topic cited. The absence of a contrasting viewpoint in the same issue suggested to me the feature should be called “Opinion” rather than “Controversy” because the article is not a balanced review of the current state of allergy practice.

The BPA and latterly RCPCH have championed for decades the holistic approach to the care of children. Paediatricians are best placed to assess the integrated needs of a child with medical problems. This principle is very relevant to developing areas of specialisation in which there is short supply of expert advice, such as in allergy. Paediatric allergists assess the impact of the diagnosis on many non-medical facets of a child's life, including family lifestyle, integration into schools and peer groups, and the facilitation of appropriate independence from parental supervision.

It is tiring to have to rehearse the arguments for the adequate protection of subjects at risk of …