Joe Bell’s Lesson Revisited

Not only doctors stand to benefit from Joseph Bell’s valuable lesson on the art of observation. The general public (i.e. prospective patients…) would also do well to take heed.

For instance, I came across an unfortunate triage note recently. Paraphrased, it read:

“51 year-old female feeling nauseated after drinking an unknown substance from her refrigerator. She looks after her mother who has dementia and a history of putting inappropriate things in the refrigerator. The patient thinks the substance tasted like urine.”

So remember to look before you leap and inspect before you imbibe…… Unless you think this is a good idea: