I read with interest the farewell editorial by Professor Wilkinson (Reference Wilkinson2003), in which he reflects on his tenure as Editor of the Journal. He is to be congratulated for both his leadership as an accomplished Editor of one of the world's most reputable psychiatry journals and for his thought-provoking ‘last words’. Although I agree with almost everything in the editorial, I am troubled by his statement, ‘I hastened the demise of the case report, to exclude what I see as psychiatric trivia’. Is this downgrading of the case report justified? Have case reports become trivia? Is the case report on the way out? The answer to these questions is ‘no’. At a time of widespread unfilled academic positions in many sub-specialties (including psychiatry), decreasing research potential and resources (and hence limited research income and recognition), the case report remains a valuable source of new (and important) clinical information. Before we reject the case report, remember it was once said, ‘We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out’ (Decca Recording Co., rejecting the Beatles, 1962).