When I use a word . . . . Listening to the patient

Abstract

An aphorism that has been attributed to William Osler, “Listen to the patient; he is telling you the diagnosis,” cannot be found in any of his published works. Given this, and his emphasis on observation and examination of the patient as the primary methods of reaching a diagnosis, rather than the clinical history, the aphorism seems unlikely to have originated with Osler. Although he may have said it, or something like it, to acolytes, who passed it on, I hypothesise that it is more likely that someone else coined it, since when it has been mistakenly attributed to him.

Topics & Concepts