House as a Diagnostic Resource?
February 22nd, 2006
From the fine medical blog Fat Doctor, a perfect example of a patient who uses House as a source of medical information and diagonoses.
For those of you who ever wonder why I try to correct bad medicine when I come across it on TV and in comic books, this is one of the main reasons. People get their medical information wherever they can find it; the accuracy of the source is rarely — if ever — considered.
Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy House (and before that, Chicago Hope and St. Elsewhere) and I’d never give up my comic books, I just wish they were more accurate on the medical front.
February 23rd, 2006 at 2:55 pm
The really funny bit about that story is that it reads like a clinic sub-plot on House. Dr. House would of course react sarcastically, give them a placebo that would “cure” them of their disease, and be rewarded with a clue to the actual medical mystery that week. They might even add a line making fun of idiots who took the medicine on doctor shows as real.
February 23rd, 2006 at 10:53 pm
At least when it comes to “House” you can point out that they treat for the easy diagnoses first, and it’s only when that fails that they start going for stronger diagnoses.
February 24th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
You know, I’d just like to apologize for all the idiots out there. I am not a doctor, and although I was considering premed in undergrad, I wound up going with something else. I don’t tell my car mechanic what he should be doing, and I damn well don’t instruct my doctor, either. If there’s a weird sound, or a pull to one side, he’s the guy I tell, but after that it’s up to him.
I’m sorry we patients are idiots sometimes.
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