TY - JOUR T1 - Treasures in the attic JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 473 LP - 473 VL - 54 IS - 503 AU - Peter Curtis Y1 - 2004/06/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/54/503/473.abstract N2 - WHAT do doctors think about when they retire? An unrewarding question, of course, because one's state of mind after retirement depends on a myriad of circumstances — expectations, health or illness, personal interests and even family concentrations, such as grandparenting. But I would guarantee that, at some moment, every recently retired doctor reflects sadly on the fading of his or her professional attributes. One example is the fairly rapid fall-off of clinical memory (for example, recalling the names and doses of commonly used medicines). Another is the slow erosion of respect for one's abilities — I refer to the hurt looks of friends and family who now realise they can no longer reliably turn to you for expert advice.There are two themes that dominate the retired doctor's thinking — … ER -