Every patient tells a story - medical mysteries and the art of diagnosis

Abstract

Presents an unflinching look inside the detective story that marks nearly every illness-the diagnosis-revealing the combination of uncertainty and intrigue that doctors face when confronting patients who are sick or dying--from the challenges of the physical exam to the pitfalls of doctor-to-doctor communication, the vagaries of tests, and the near calamity of diagnostic errors. Every patient's nightmare -- Every patient tells a story -- The facts, and what lies beyond -- The stories they tell -- High touch -- A vanishing art -- What only the exam can show -- Seeing is believing -- The healing touch -- The heart of the matter -- High tech -- Testing troubles -- Limits of the medical mind -- Sick thinking -- Digital diagnosis -- The final diagnosis.