EDITOR—Reports surrounding the analysis of tonsillar and appendix tissue for evidence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)1 have highlighted the difficulty faced by scientists in presenting complex and emotive medical information to the public. Great care is needed, especially when the implications of results are uncertain.

The discovery of prion protein in an appendix removed from a patient in Torbay in 1995 before the onset of clinical …