His examination is
as thorough as the stethoscope can make it; in fact, he listens to your
heart-action long enough to make you fear the worst. This is in marked
contrast with the smooth-faced doctor, who, as a rule, asks you to show
your tongue, and when you obey he does not look at it, but begins to go
through his mail, whistling cheerfully. He puts such vital questions as,
how far up is your bedroom window at night, and do you ever have a
sense of eye-strain after reading too long, and when you reply, he pays
no attention. His entire attitude expresses the conviction that either
you are not ill at all, or that if you are, you are not in a position to
give an intelligent account of yourself. That is not the case with the
other physician. He asks precise questions and insists on detailed
replies. Nothing escapes him. While you are describing the sensations in
the vicinity of your left lung, he will ask quietly whether you have
always had the habit of biting your nails.
Under such sympathetic attention the patient's spirits rise. From an
apologetic state of mind he passes to a sense of his own importance.
Pages:
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34