Doctor as Detective? - Why Patients May Need to Get a Clue

     I have always viewed doctors as medical detectives.  Patients bring them clues in the form of symptoms and the doctors examine these clues, combine them with what they know, research what they don't know and come up with a diagnosis.  Aha!  Mystery solved.

    Well, we all have our misconceptions, don't we?  Turns out that doctors are more like factory workers.  They take a quick look, use whatever information they already possess, and deftly sort patients into various, common, diagnostic baskets.  If the patient doesn't fit easily into a standard basket, they get tossed aside into the reject bin to be dealt with later  (Read more...)