Pretibial injuries: a common pitfall.

general practice are the only complete records of all aspects of the medical history of a patient until his or her death. Future epidemiologists will be dependent on these records for studies of long term changes in the patterns of illness, long term effects of treatment, and the effect of social and economic factors in different parts of the country on morbidity and mortality. The existence of the family practitioner committees and the strength of general practice in Britain provide us with a unique opportunity. Records from general practice might be collected on a scale and with an ease that would be the envy of other countries; and yet-ironically-the Government proposes removing clinical records from the protection of the Public Records Act. If accepted, these proposals might be enough to kill any future plans for the preservation of clinical records from general practice. Everyone whose work depends on access to clinical records should recognise the serious implications of the recommendations of this White Paper.