"The medical pundits": doctors and indirect advertising in the lay press 1922-1927.

For many years now the attention of the great British public had been focused upon [Sir Dudley Rumbold Blane]. It was Sir Rumbold who, a quarter of a century before, staggered humanity by the declaration that a certain portion of Man's intestine was not only useless, but definitely harmful.... Since then he had kept well to the front, successfully introducing to the nation bran food, Youghourt, and the lactic acid bacillus ... and now in addition. . . he wrote the menus for the famous Railey chain of restaurants: "Come, ladies and gentlemen, let Sir Rumbold Blane MD FRCP help you choose your calories!" Many were the muttered grumbles amongst more legitimate healers that Sir Rumbold should have been scored off the Register years ago: to which the answer manifestly was-what would the Register be without Sir Rumbold?2