Academic freedom does not exist and has probably always been a myth. Wright and Wedge raise several important issues regarding the autonomy of clinical academics but, perhaps wisely, are careful not to provide a clear definition of “freedom.”1 Freedom is not just an absence of physical restraint but also the lack of psychological compulsion. The central issue is the extent to which institutions and society are willing to tolerate some degree of freedom (or self indulgence) by academic physicians.

In the United Kingdom, we are already reigned in by the General Medical Council; its booklet on standards in medical research sets boundaries to what we may or may not do. …