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Knocks the final few nails into the coffin which contains the remains of the notion that the theory and practice of control charting depend on assumptions of normality. The subject’s creator, Dr Walter Shewhart, denied this as long ago as 1939! His most famous student, Dr W. Edwards Deming, denied it repeatedly thereafter. There appear to be two most crucial arguments as to why the “orthodox” statistician claims that normality is necessary. One is to enable probability interpretations of control limits. The other is to justify the conversion factors which are in common use in control‐chart calculations. The truth is that, even under normality, the usual probability interpretations are meaningless in practice and that, in the latter case, the behaviour of the conventional conversion factors is not at all dependent on normality but is in fact very similar over a wide range of differently‐shaped probability distributions.

Contends that Deming’s philosophy for management is imperfectly understood. Unlike just a few years ago, very many people have now heard of W. Edwards Deming, and know something of his philosophy for management. But “something” is, in most cases, far too little. His work is sometimes dismissed as “just statistics” or even as no more than statistical process control. Another common false impression is that his philosophy is “summarized by the 14 Points”. And one of the few things to continue to irritate him until his death in December 1993 was any attempt to connect him with “TQM”! Agrees that all such diminutions trivialize his legacy to us. His work was not only much larger than any of these imply: it was genuinely of a higher dimension. He said of the two books by his great mentor, Walter Shewhart, that a “century will pass before people in industry and in science begin to appreciate the contents of these great works”. The ominous truth is that the same could well be true of Deming’s own two great books on management. Fears that we cannot afford to wait that long.

In this article the authors give an overview of the 1990 British Denting Association (BDA) conference by reviewing Deming's philosophy and presenting some of the lessons learned from practitioners who are implementing the philosophy in their organisations. They offer some concluding remarks and comments on two important categories of participants who were conspicuously absent and on what the BDA could mean to the British economy.

Provides an explanation of Deming’s Theory of Profound Knowledge, which includes the four core values. Cites these as appreciation for a system, some knowledge of the theory of variation, a theory of knowledge and some knowledge of psychology. Defines leadership and the actions required to implement the Deming leadership method. Argues this implementation will clear most barriers which exist when starting any total quality management programme and will allow managers/supervisors to acquire enough knowledge to make the transformation from supervisory management to leadership excellence. States that only through applying the Deming principles first will any future improvement be successful.

During the year approval was given to the appointments of 36 Public Analysts, and also in one case to the termination of such an appointment.

At the recent conference of the British Medical Association, Dr. Langdon‐Down, of South Middlesex, submitted the report of the Ethical Committee on behalf of the Council, upon the ethics of indirect advertising by the medical profession. The report mentioned a number of restrictions which it was thought advisable to impose as regards advertising by members of the profession. It was stated that in discussions in the Press on matters of public importance relating to the medical questions it was not necessary that the names of the medical writers or informants should be given. The newspapers, it was contended, could give the necessary assurance to their readers as to the professional standing of the authority quoted without mentioning names.—Dr. Fothergill moved that certain recommendations in the report be referred back for reconsideration, including that which related to medical men not attaching their signatures to letters and communications they sent to the Press on medical subjects. On that latter point he suggested that before the report was issued the council should approach the Press Association to get their views on the question. What the Press required was not the advertising of an inferior practitioner. What they desired was to get an adequate medical opinion. The Press said: “If you allow a doctor to go to the Church Congress and talk openly there of birth control, should you not allow that same doctor to put into the public Press a letter over his signature?”—Dr. Lyndon hoped the representative body would not be led away by Dr. Fothergill. The question of having a conference with the Press was brought before the council, who were all against it.—Sir Jenner Verrall said he did not think what was suggested would be a substitute for the indirect advertising complained of.—Dr. Bishop Harman expressed agreement with the contention that it was the name that really mattered in these contributions to the Press. An eminent medical man wrote to The Times a brilliant letter on an important medical subject, and signed himself “Veritas.” It never caused a ripple on the water. They thought it was a gas mantle or something, and there was no punch behind it. Three things mattered—what you say, how it is said, and who says it, and the last is the only thing that really matters.—The report was adopted with the exception of that part relating to medical men's names being attached to letters and communications sent to the Press. That section of the report was referred back for consideration, with the object of seeing how far it was possible to depart from anonymity.

We have reprinted the powerful letter addressed to the Daily Mail by MR. H. W. WILSON, the author of “Ironclads in Action,” advocating the immediate adoption of a policy of reprisals for the Zeppelin murder raids. In our view it is the duty of every journal, whatever may be its raison d'être, to assist in keeping the attention of the public fixed upon this matter, to aid in preventing the general feeling of disgust and indignation from cooling down, and to support those who have the brains to understand the nature of the Hun in their efforts to compel the Government to adopt the most effective means at present available to put an end to the murderous excursions of the German vermin into this country. As MR. WILSON points out, the deliberate Hun policy of slaying women, children and non‐combatants is either permitted by the laws of war recognised by civilised nations or it is not permitted by those laws. If it is permitted, “then clearly the Power which refrains from making similar attacks on the enemy's towns, villages, and residential districts, loses greatly from the military standpoint.” If it is not permitted then the only course— “the force behind the laws of War”—is a policy of drastic reprisals. Moreover, it is the only course that the Hun can understand. The methods of “frightfulness” are definitely laid down in the German military system as methods to be ruthlessly followed whenever this can be done with impunity and the fear of reprisals is also definitely laid down as the only consideration which is to be allowed to operate as a check upn “frightfulness.” “The Power which fails to take reprisals when a great offence is committed is as the negligent judge or the faithless jury that acquits a murderer. It sins against humanity … it encourages the criminal in his crime.”

[On November 7 last, at a meeting of the society which we regret to see is still incorrectly styled the “Society of Public Analysts,” a valuable and highly interesting paper, entitled “The Analyst and the Medical Man,” was read by Dr. F. Gowland HOPKINS, who attended the meeting by invitation for this purpose.

Index by subjects, compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals: Facilities Volumes 8‐17; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐17; Property Management Volumes 8‐17; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐17.