Sir, – It is mildly amusing that Gerard Depardieu was ridiculed last week in your paper and many others (“Gerard Depardieu encounters ‘oui’ problem on flight”, Home News, August 18th). I have a different perspective.
I suffer from instability of the detrusor muscle and there are times that I cannot control its contraction with the relaxation of the sphincter muscle and consequent emission of urine. M Depardieu has not defended himself over the incident, but if his problem is the same as mine, he has my deep sympathy and it is time that this condition is recognised as a problem of old age, for which there is no understanding, in my view, on airplanes and in similar confined environments. – Yours, etc,