You say 'resulting solution'... but that is the whole point. There is no 'solution', only pure water, which miraculously remembers what these quacks want it to but forgets every other substance that has passed through it over millions of years. No wonder Prince Charles approves

Robin Blick, Swansea, U.K.

Exacly how are we going to ask the Queen Mother? Re it's OK to use it even if it's just a placebo, see http://www.whatstheharm.net/homeopathy.html

Leon, Stafford,

It's obvious that you people know nothing about this subject and SS if that's his name, should talk to the Queen Mother and Prince Phillip and ask them whether it works.

Shonky, Doncaster, Australia

With regards to the positive trials mentioned below- what you failed to disclose was that they were performed by homeopathists with no control over other factors, badly deigned and usually relying on how the subject feels as the measure of sucess - something that is easily influenced.

symball, lunnon,

There's lots of data. Enough to be *sure* it doesn't work. google "placebo effect animal" for how placebo affects animal trials. Physics Q: Suggest an experiment to distinguish 2 identical flasks, one contains water, the other H2O. H'pathy is mad. As placebo it's £££. It doesn't work. It's *mad* K?

phayes, Aberystwyth, Cymru

There is no evidence that homeopathy works in animals. There is a large amount of evidence that suggests homeopaths have succeeded in convincing animal owners that their bogus phoney treatments have improved there pets health. These people are fraudsters who steal your money with fake remedies.

Ludd, Leicester, UK

Another "quackbuster" jumps on the anti homoeopathy bandwagon to promote his book - hope he donates some of the profits to his local NHS hospital. I am a homoeopath who has a GP and Vet who are also both homoeopaths. We live and work in harmony. Nil desperandum.

Elizabeth, Beaminster, England

It always amuses me, I have taught physics for 25 years, how those who claim to be from science do not use science to critique homeopathy. There are hundreds of trials many better than placebo & are not “utterly bogus.” I wonder if their failure to use real science is based on a fear it works?

Jerome Whitney, London, UK

This is a typical, depressing British medical reaction to something they don't understand. Different here in France where alternative medicine is encouraged even by conventional GPs. For the record, homeopathy works with animals - so how would they know about placebos ?

david, Ligneyrac, France

Simon,
You don't tell us why something that works as a placibo should be closed down.
It is accepted by conventional medicine that there is a placibo effect, and there is even evidence that it works on animals. Yet many health "experts" decry it because there is no scienific evidence - yet.

Rob, Sudbury, Suffolk, England

Alan - What's atheism got to do with it? Atheism theoretically precludes rationality and therefore science (if thought is determined by a chain of physical causation).
Placebo's deceive people by definition, cost money, and have no genuine benefit. ie its a con. Keep closing the hospitals!

James, London,

Don't get me wrong - I'm a convinced atheist, I don't believe in conspiracy theories and I'm otherwise completely down-to-earth - but...
... if homoeopathy works (be it as a placebo), then I'm all in favour of homoeopathy.

alan, germany,