Collins and Deeks share memories of Doug Altman in The BMJ. The editors of the BMJ knew him through his membership in the "suspension committee" that decided on the publication of articles. The committee usually had five members: two doctors, two editors and a statistician. They discussed 12 documents that everyone read. Doug Altman joined the committee in about 1980 and has been a member for over 30 years. The sessions included jokes, gossip and detailed discussions of the articles. The non-statisticians in the group admired him and agreed with his views on the serious flaws in the studies. Doug Altman assisted the authors with lengthy messages to save the studies and regretted their efforts.