Mention Tourette’s syndrome to members of the general public and, if they recognise it at all, they are likely to tell you that it is a condition in which people come out with vulgar or obscene words or phrases. Now data from the Tourette Syndrome International Database Consortium (TIC) have been analysed to assess the importance of coprophenomena in the syndrome (Roger D Freeman and colleagues. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 2009;51:218–27).

The TIC was established in 1996. There are 61 member sites in …