Guts UK 50 years old: onwards and upwards

Guts UK is 50 years old. Despite many advances since its foundation, there is plenty left to be done. Funding for research into gut, liver and pancreas diseases has always been modest compared with their clinical impact.1 The UK Medical Research Council was established in 19192 when gastroenterology barely existed as a specialty—the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) was not formed until 1937.3 Medical Research Council funding reflected priorities of the day such as infectious disease and neurological disorders. In 1971, the Council of the BSG, noting the paucity of research funding, set up the Digestive Disorders Trust Fund with Dr Thomas Hunt, a founder member of the BSG, as its first President. Sir Francis Avery …