I have just come from the surgery, where my doctor has refused to give my little daughter penicillin for her ear ache. Isn't this what you'd call cruelty to children?

Well, ear ache is often due to an inflammation which is caused by a virus. Viruses don't respond to penicillin, or any other antibiotic. So if the doc thinks it's a viral infection, the right treatment would actually be paracetamol syrup.