The King and I

KinG cHaRlES’S loss of temper over a leaking pen affords us some insight into his character, as does his belief in homeopathy.

i was an aid doctor during the iraniraq war in the late 1980s. When we ran out of morphine, used to treat severe pain in battlefield casualties, i gave an injection of saline, reassuring the (often dying) casualty that they would be pain-free in a few minutes. nearly without exception, they were, but it usually only had an effect once. The placebo reaction is potent but short-lived. Homeopathy works by placebo.

RONALD JONES, Southampton.