Hugh Gibbons' references and extra information
PPhunnybone for November 2013
for pharmaceutical physicians, colleagues and friends

Say what you like about the rack in Tudor times, but it did have a heath benefit.  Stretching victims increased their height.  So it improved their BMI, right?

You can sense 2013 started as my Year of Numbers, and my BMI was one.  I told my GP it was devised between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing ‘social physics’, so it seems more sophisticated than BP.  You’re 197/95 today, he said.  Remember those nose bleeds, and having a silver nitrate thing stuffed up your nostril at the Royal Berkshire.  Want it again?  Well, focus on BP.  And no, it’s nothing to do with the BMA.

The number 10,000 might have become my steps/day path to total healthdom.  But the TV programme included enthusers who pop out before bedtime just to get their last hundreds in.  Lower BP, higher OCD, I thought.  But I got out the pedometer used for my three Great South Runs; well, Walks in my case, but you get the point.  I found that I walk 1900 steps going to the Co-Op for the Guardian.  And then maybe no more than 2000 around the house during the day.  So no case for OCD with me (I keep telling myself).

But other numbers came up this year to make me feel better.  You might have equivalents.

For example?  PI – because of that moment in the film when Pi fills the blackboards with number after number (and it was quite a feat for actor Gautam Belur just to remember the numbers to write, knowing maths geeks go to cinemas).

Minus 4 was a find.  Instead of turning Radio4 on at 7am to be bewitched, bothered and bewildered by the Today programme, I now enjoy the quiet.  Minus 140 is set policy: no tweets.  

And 265. That’s my numbered copy of ‘Afghanistan’ signed by Giles Duley.  He’s the former UK fashion photographer who turned to recording the marginalised and forgotten.  After he trod on an IED, the two tough US Army Medevacs in the Black Hawk kept saying hang on in there buddy you’re gonna be all right - even though they knew he had only 1 limb left.  Plus 1 big heart.  If you want an uplifting ten minutes, see Giles – grittily out and about again – on TED, talking about why losing limbs needn’t mean losing purpose and value to your life.

Seemingly, most people have feelings towards numbers.  Research suggests that we like even numbers more than odd numbers.  Most liked is 100: most disliked, 37 and 67.

For me, there’s nothing like 0 and its merry different brand names.  Try pronouncing these.  Andy Murray is 30-0.  Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-0.  The new 007.  England are 110-0 at lunch.  Only 2.02% of patients responded.  2-2=0.  0030 in a Black Hawk (er, zero dark thirty).

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you are awful.  But I like you.

PS BP is 140/79 on the home monitor after finishing this PPhunnybone.  BMI is down too - as I stretch with relief.