How the BNF has grown in size and weight over decades

Everyone has a favourite edition of the British National Formulary (BNF), an edition, smell, and colour that takes them back to a specific time and place—that gastro ward, dispensary, or outpatient clinic, or a training moment, patient, or colleague (box). Those editions and colours are memorable for a reason. The colour of each book reassured clinicians at a quick glance that they were using the most up-to-date drug information available at the time.bmj;391/dec16_5/r2574/F1F1f1Fig 1One of us (JH) recently rescued an almost entire collection of BNF editions. The books had been collected by palliative care pharmacist Vanessa Skingle and, when she retired, they had been earmarked for removal and disposal. JH heard about their plight and sought permission to re-house the collection.The condemned books weren’t quite in the skip, but were pretty close. The rescue took place in Penarth, South Wales. Poignantly, this was 400 metres from the early family home…