This witty medical mystery sees the deeply ambitions Jim Whynn, MP for Churchford, and his wife Charlotte join the list of Richard Gordonșs private patients. Expecting no more than having to prescribe the standard headache tablets and flu remedies, Richard is surprised when the MP pays him a visit of particular delicacy. For after a late night at the House of Commons, Jim did something rather incautious to say the least. He confesses to Charlotte and persuades Richard to refer him to a psychiatrist as a damage limitation exercise. Richard writes the necessary letter ȓ doctor to doctor ȓ but somehow the original goes astray. So when it turns up in the hands of the pressȦ

The Author: Richard Gordon, real name Dr. Gordon Stanley Ostlere, was born in England on 15 September 1921. He is best-known for his hilarious ȘDoctorș books. Himself a qualified doctor, he worked as an anaesthetist at the famous St. Bartholomews Hospital (where he was also a medical student) and later as a ships surgeon, before leaving medical practice in 1952 to take up writing full time. Many of his books are based on his own true experiences in the medical profession and are all told with the wry wit and candid humour that have become his hallmark.

In all, there are eighteen titles in the Doctor Series, with further comic writings in another seven volumes, including ȘGreat Medical Disastersș and ȘGreat Medical Mysteriesș, plus more serious works concerning the lives of medical practitioners.

He has also published several technical books under his own name, mainly concerned with anaesthetics for both students and patients. Additionally, he has written on gardening, fishing and cricket and was also a regular contributor to Punch magazine. His ȘPrivate Livesș series, taking in Dr. Crippen, Jack the Ripper and Florence Nightingale, has been widely acclaimed.

The enormous success of ȘDoctor in the Houseș, first published in the 195șs, startled its author. It was written whilst he was a surgeon aboard a cargo ship, prior to a spell as an academic anaesthetist at Oxford. His only previous literary experience had been confined to work as an assistant editor of the British Medical Journal. There was, perhaps, a foretaste of things to come whilst working on the Journal as the then editor, finding Gordon somewhat jokey, put him in charge of the obituaries!

The film of ȘDoctor in the Houseș uniquely recovered its production costs whilst still showing at the cinema in Londonșs West End where it had been premiered. This endeared him to the powerful Rank Organisation who made eight films altogether of his works, which were followed by a then record-breaking TV series, and further stage productions.

Richard Gordonșs books have been translated into twenty languages.

He married a doctor and they had four children, two of whom became house surgeons. He now lives in London.