diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/help/HelpConstants.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/help/HelpConstants.java
index da66ff33d..21885cba7 100644
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/help/HelpConstants.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/help/HelpConstants.java
@@ -24,13 +24,6 @@
 
 package org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.help;
 
-import com.sun.javadoc.FieldDoc;
-import com.sun.javadoc.PackageDoc;
-import com.sun.javadoc.ProgramElementDoc;
-import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.classloader.JVMUtils;
-
-import java.lang.reflect.Field;
-
 public class HelpConstants {
 
     public final static String BASE_GATK_URL = "http://www.broadinstitute.org/gatk";
@@ -41,41 +34,4 @@ public class HelpConstants {
     public static String forumPost(String post) {
     	return GATK_FORUM_URL + post;
     }
-
-    protected static boolean assignableToClass(ProgramElementDoc classDoc, Class lhsClass, boolean requireConcrete) {
-        try {
-            Class type = getClassForDoc(classDoc);
-            return lhsClass.isAssignableFrom(type) && (!requireConcrete || JVMUtils.isConcrete(type));
-        } catch (Throwable t) {
-            // Ignore errors.
-            return false;
-        }
-    }
-
-    protected static Class getClassForDoc(ProgramElementDoc doc) throws ClassNotFoundException {
-        return Class.forName(getClassName(doc));
-    }
-
-    protected static Field getFieldForFieldDoc(FieldDoc fieldDoc) {
-        try {
-            Class clazz = getClassForDoc(fieldDoc.containingClass());
-            return JVMUtils.findField(clazz, fieldDoc.name());
-        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
-            throw new RuntimeException(e);
-        }
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Reconstitute the class name from the given class JavaDoc object.
-     *
-     * @param doc the Javadoc model for the given class.
-     * @return The (string) class name of the given class.
-     */
-    protected static String getClassName(ProgramElementDoc doc) {
-        PackageDoc containingPackage = doc.containingPackage();
-        return containingPackage.name().length() > 0 ?
-                String.format("%s.%s", containingPackage.name(), doc.name()) :
-                String.format("%s", doc.name());
-    }
-
 }
\ No newline at end of file