Sir, 'The professional man has no right other than to be the perpetual student'; so said G. V. Black nearly 100 years ago.

So succinct and so eloquent, it espouses all that Joanne Brindley sets out in her commendable article Refection on fitness to practise (BDJ 2016;221: 495–498).

The fact that the ethos of this statement has recently been codified by the GDC does not mean it is suddenly new. It certainly does not mean that there has been no 'reflective practice' prior to the turn of this century.

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