Eight years ago, we discovered my wife had pulmonary fibrosis, then we discovered it had been caused by five years on an antibiotic that, in 1953, it was acknowledged can cause this condition. Her NHS consultant wrote six letters, after consultations, listing her meds. 1/*

One Sunday, 12am, he calls me (NHS consultants never call, much less on a Sunday) and asks if Ri is still taking Nitrofurentoin, the first item in the list of meds he kept dictating. “Yes”, I answered. “Have her call the surgery tomorrow, I’ll write up a new prescription”. 2/*

So I Google, obviously, and discover the facts. Then I realise he’s had dinner Sat night with some doctor colleagues and someone’s brought him up to speed. By Mon morning, I’d researched the best lung doctor in the country b/c there’s no cure for P. Fibrosis. 3/*

Monday morning, I had an appt for Weds. “Oh yes, Nitrofurentoin, we call it The Devil’s Drug”, says Toby Maher (excellent doc at Roysl Brompton). Years later, Ri’s fine. Her lungs are damaged but not in any way that impacts her daily life, we got it just in time. 4/*