Every hospital in the United States is wrestling with the problem of over-use of the emergency room. Every hospital staff is wrestling with the problem of how to provide professional care in the emergency room. Everyone recognizes that the emergency room has made for itself a special niche in the delivery of medical care, expanding at a phenomenal rate. Much has been written on the topic. The readers of theJournalhave deserved a good review of the topic so they may see what their role has been, if any, in this trend of today.