Is there another consultant lifestyle?

It so happened that I read the article by Mr Hill and his colleagues on manpower imbalance in obstetrics and gynaecology' in the same week that I saw the film "Gandhi." The similarities were astonishing. Much of the article read like the colonialists' talk in the last days of the empire. There was, essentially, a need to maintain the status quo. Obstetrics was a special case, to be compared to the more "contemplative" specialties such as general medicine. (I do hope that when I am admitted with my coronary or cerebrovascular accident the physician is not too contemplative.) No mention was made of other specialties, such as general surgery, orthopaedics, or anaesthesia, which might provide an equally pressing argument. I must declare an interest here. I work in an obstetric unit that employs only consultants and senior house officers. Worse is to come-I actually prefer it that way. Granted, it was not my original choice, rather greatness forced on me. But now I would not have it otherwise. Registrars provide an easier lifestyle and undisturbed nights but in my experience they also lead to an increased incidence of poor patient management, unnecessary investigations, and a higher surgical complication rate. Some of