In the 1970s, to save money, a London psychiatric hospital replaced soft toilet tissue with Izal medicated toilet roll (Letters, 13 April). Therapists conducting successful sessions for outpatients with compulsive disorders were surprised by a sudden increase in relapse rates, until they realised that each sheet contained the exhortation “Now wash your hands”. Its use was discontinued.
Prof David C Sanders
Mortain, France
Izal toilet paper made excellent tracing paper, but it also made a superb sound in a comb and paper. One member of a jokey interval band at the original Concorde Jazz Club in Southampton played an Izal bumphone to great effect!
David Witt
Malmesbury, Wiltshire
It’s not all doom and gloom when products are discontinued. The demise of the News Chronicle in 1960 led our family to a lifelong addiction to the Guardian.
Bob Epton
Brigg, Lincolnshire
Lovely to see Albie Fiore’s famous clue – “No can do”, with the solution “Bottle party” – recycled, but done the other way round (Cryptic crossword, 14 April). I was at school with Albie in the 60s. As your obituary for him said (18 August 2009), he was an “all-round good bloke”. Thanks for all the crosswords.
Alan O’Gorman
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Pedanticus would not be happy with 13 down (Quick crossword, 11 April). “Practice” in the clue means that the solution should be a noun: “rehearsal”. The solution is actually “rehearse”, a verb, and the clue should have said “Practise”.
Teresa Quayle
Warrington, Cheshire
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