Trimethoprim and sulphamethoxazole.

used the discovery of staphylococcuskilling products of a fungus to make penicillin which saved millions of lives.Other scientists used the principle of atomic fission to make weapons and bombs.Two of these bombs were dropped in Japan, and killed over 2 million people, and horribly crippled many more, in seconds.Some of the machines invented or made by scientists now spew out pollutants into the air and waters."This, I believe, is the greatest contribution leading scientists can make to the wel- fare of mankind-to admit failures as readily as they admit apparent successes.-Iam, etc., C. DE F. W. GOONARATNA Dundee Anorexia Nervosa SIR,-In the leading article on anorexia nervosa (23 October, p. 183) you state "Though doubts have been expressed about its status as a distinct entity, it is generally regarded as a consistent syndrome."I have been-trying without success to fathom what this means.I think I know what a con- sistent syndrome is; but I have no idea what is meant by "distinct entity," nor how one would decide whether or no "a consistent syndrome" is "a distinct entity."Could you enlighten me?-I am, etc., J. L. SCADDING Institute of Diseases of the Chest, London S.W.3Ampicillin and Mononucleosis SIR,-Dr.I. J. Nazareth (3 July, p. 48) suggested that the hypersensitivity to ampicillin shown by the patients suffering from infectious mononucleosis is transient.I would like to report the following case.A child of six developed a generalized maculopapular rash after having received three doses of ampicillin 125 mg each orally for pyrexial illness.This illness later turned out to be infectious mononucleosis.Ampicillin was discontinued and this rash cleared completely within 36 hours.Sixteen weeks later he developed an upper respiratory tract infection, which was presumably viral as suggested by W.B.C. count and negative throat swab for bacteria.He was given ampicillin for five days orally and he did not show any hypersensitivity.-Iam, etc., S. A.