Briefing

Nearly half of all British workers take a break for lunch every day, and nearly two thirds do so four times each week, according to a survey reported in IRS Employment Trends (1998;670:5). But more people are also working straight through lunch: fewer than 1 in 10 did so back in 1991; more than 1 in 5 do now. One motivation for lunching is to relax with colleagues, but let's not forget eating. Most clinics and surgeries involve a fair amount of energy; outliers can turn ward rounds into marathons. Food is fuel, and if you can find a spare exam couch for your postprandial parasympathetic overdrive, so much the better.