The sighs of relief given out by the Treasurers of our Health Districts were almost audible after the first wave of enthusiasm following the introduction of fibre optic gastro-intestinal endoscopy had passed. The technique is now well established in most large hospitals in the UK, even though the exact role of these procedures in some clinical situations has yet to be established. But gastrointestinal endoscopy should not be treated as a subspecialty in its own right, but rather as one other technique which is available to help in the management of various gastrointestinal problems.