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John Petro was a doctor who gained notoriety for prescribing controlled drugs in 1960s Britain.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Petro was one of the first doctors to administer penicillin with Alexander Fleming.^[1] In 1966, he was injured in a traffic collision and faced bankruptcy, resorting to writing prescriptions to drug addicts for controlled drugs such as heroin and cocaine.^[1] Petro did not have an office and worked out of coffee bars and cafes.^[1] His practice was widely covered by British tabloids for months.^[1] In January 1968, Petro was invited on David Frost's television program to discuss his practice.^[1] He was immediately arrested after the broadcast.^[1]

In 1968, his name was struck off of the Medical Register.^[2][3] Petro continued working with drug addicts after no longer being able to prescribe drugs.^[4]

Petro was discussed in the House of Commons by Alexander Lyon, Edward Short, and Cranley Onslow during a debate about trial by television.^[6]

• Isabella Frankau

• The land that time forgot