Media Watch

The homeopathy row is one of medicine's longest. It's been running for, ooh, about 200 years and this week showed no signs of letting up.

The latest salvo came from a group of seven doctors and scientists led by King's College London pharmacology professor Dr Gustav Born, who wrote to The Times saying primary care trusts should stop funding homeopathy because there was no evidence to support it.

They had written to PCTs a year ago, said Dr Born et al, and some had taken notice and stopped this silliness of 'prescribing quackery' when there were proper funding needs.

The Times added: 'The NHS is turning its back on homoeopathy and other unproven alternative medicines.'

The very existence of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital was under threat.

'Threat to choice'

The backlash came fast and furious. Leading doctors? Bully boys intent on pushing homeopathy out of the NHS, said the What Doctors Don't Tell You website. They were removing choice and going against the principles of the NHS.

Contributors to The Times website pointed out that the letter was sent from the William Harvey Research Institute - set up with big pharma cash.

Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, medical director Peter Fisher got a right of reply in The Guardian citing the wealth of evidence to support it.

So there they stand. One side blaming Prince Charles, the other big pharma. With some PCTs consulting on whether to continue homeopathy funding, this is a row they would do well to watch.