Felix's wise counsel has helped me many times over the years. When, as his registrar, I was presenting patients at his wardrounds, a particular member of the team was in the habit of repeatedly interrupting me. One day I became so irritated that I shouted at her, ‘For heaven's sake! Please let me finish. You can have your say in a minute.’ This put an effective end to the interruptions, but after the wardround Felix took me aside and gently upbraided me. I apologised to him and admitted that I should not have let my anger get the better of me. Felix looked at me sympathetically, ‘I know,’ he said with his characteristic prolongation of the ‘o’, ‘You see the young don't know how to behave these days. You have to treat them like psychotic patients.’