Apart from its alliterative appeal, the title of this book expresses a serious topical purpose. In the midst of statistical uncertainty, and even obfuscation, how is it possible to assess the extent of errors and clinical negligence claims in the UK? We are constantly told that we do or do not live in a ‘compensation culture’, which is usually carefully not defi ned, but what are the facts about the number of errors made in our health service in the course of a year? What is the truth about trends in clinical negligence litigation over recent years? Do doctors practise defensive medicine? Who or what is to blame for the upsurge in claims towards the end of the twentieth century? How can patients seek reassurance that the treatment they receive will be safe? How can doctors practise medicine in the best interests of patients without the fear of being sued? One ambition of this book is to put the debate about the so-called compensation culture on a sounder statistical, and hence epistemological basis, and it will be argued that the current Governmental pronouncements, sceptical of the very existence of such a culture are sadly, possibly deliberately, short of the mark in the healthcare context.