Doctors Mosier and Danufsky seem to have misinterpreted my comments and Guttentag's proposals. An argument was not made to the effect that physicians cannot or should not be both compassionate and objective. It was, however, advised that in the special circumstance surrounding the consent issue in formal clinical investigation it is wise to separate artificially these two aspects of the normal physician-patient relationship as an additional safeguard for the patient. It is quixotic to overlook the ever-present conflict between concern for the patient and concern for the truth.