PEDIATRICS Vol. 66 No. 2 August 1980, pp. 331-332
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Doing Better by Doing Less

Daniel L. Cohen 1

1 USAF Hospital, Lakenheath (USAFE), APO New York 09179

This letter has been prompted by a recent editorial in the Archives of Diseases of Childhood written by Professor Ronald Illingworth,1 a physician of international reputation whose contributions toward an understanding of normal and abnormal development in pediatrics are noteworthy. The essence of the editorial is that Professor Illingworth feels physicians don't know when to leave well enough alone and that normal children are often better off before they see a physician than afterward. He lambasts our archaic notions on the need for circumcisions (the cost of which in the United States approaches $59,000,000 per year!!),2 clipping of frenula, double diapers for "hip clicks," correction surgery or shoes for "toeing in," etc.