In the midst of all the chaos and uncertainty on the railways as a result of the pandemic, it is surprising that considerable sums of money and much time and energy is being devoted to the concept of driverlessness. The idea that you can get rid of drivers is a regular theme of speeches at fringe meetings at the Conservative party conference, and in the output of like-minded think tanks.

The work on larynx transplantation has been discussed in the previous paragraphs. Corollary to this is the possible development of an artificial larynx which can be implanted just as an artificial heart might be implanted. Design of such larynxes might permit a quick solution to the problem of tissue rejection.

If, after due warning, our light-minded friends will write to us in terms that mislike that excellent and punctilious inspectress, they must aby it in the cold looks and bitter innuendoes which will be their portion when they come to us in the next hunting season.

A similar situation unfolded two decades ago in Sausalito, Calif., when houseboaters were inundated with toadfish calls.