Sir, do we have a duty as members of a healing profession to help people in pain? As a student in the early 1950's I recall being told by an honorary lecturer at my training hospital, that time should be set aside to treat patients in acute pain even, if it involved shortening one's lunch time or forgoing a tea break, as part of our professional duty was to alleviate pain

Having worked in the NHS for 40 years and in private practice for 10 years, I am aware of the pressure of too many patients and insufficient time during a working day.

Recently whilst travelling up to Cumbria I fractured a molar tooth exposing the pulp and within hours it was extremely tender, to both touch and temperature change. On arriving at the hotel I inquired as to the availability of an emergency dentist, was given a list of local practices, some NHS, and two private patients only. The next morning I presented myself at the first of the private practices, explained that I was a retired dentist, that I was in considerable pain, but was informed that the practice only saw their own registered patients, and non registered patients were not seen!

I then tried the second private practice with exactly the same result. Incidentally, both were multiple practices, with empty waiting rooms! I then tried three different NHS practices all with overflowing waiting rooms and the receptionist at the last one, gave me the telephone number of the nearest NHS direct establishment some 15 miles away from Cockermouth. On phoning them, I was told to phone back by 8.30 am the next day and they would try and fit me in. This I did, and the young New Zealand trained dental surgeon examined me and extracted the split lower molar. It concerns me that today's graduates do appear to be unaware of the ethics of a healing profession, and that will lower the public's respect for the healing professions. A patient in pain, successfully treated, more often than not becomes is a good patient, often for “life”.