Hilaire Belloc wrote“They answered as they took their fees‘There is no cure for this disease.’”The profession to which he was referring is probably transparent, but what may be a little more opaque is that his comment could apply to those individuals who claim to run courses suitable for medical educators, including those who come from developing countries. However, for those who read the paperProgress of the WHO Global Teaching Training Programme 1969-1979 (WHO/EDUC/79.178), the truth of Belloc's words is as painful as Mark Twain's plea to“Always tell the truth because it will gratify the few and astonish the many.”