Advertising and medical ethics.

Should doctors advertise their services? That is the question addressed in this issue by Dr Richard Colman (1) who was advised by the General Medical Council (GMC) that his proposal to advertise his holistic medical practice in local newspapers would not be acceptable under the GMC guidelines on advertising. Dr Colman attempted to have the GMC's ruling overturned by the High Court on the grounds that it unfairly interfered with his ability to gain a livelihood as a holistic general medical practitioner and that it was against the public interest but the High Court supported the GMC (2), and the case is, at the time of writing, under appeal. Meanwhile a report by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) (3) has lent support to Dr Colman's position. Asked by the Director of Fair Trading to consider the effects on the public interest of restrictions on advertising imposed