Some of your readers may be interested to know that the Mullard 4 MV linear accelerator installed at Newcastle General Hospital in 1953 has now been withdrawn from service. The machine was among the very first linear accelerators to be designed specifically for clinical radiotherapy and it represented a major step forward in highenergy technique, owing much to the foresight of Mr. C. J. L. Thurgar, director of radiotherapy and Dr. F. T. Farmer, who was in charge of the physics team.