Quick diagnosis

The older doctor suggested the young one accompany him on his rounds, so the community could become used to the new doctor.

At the first house, the woman complains, “I’ve been sick to my stomach.”

The older doctor says, “Well, you’ve probably been overdoing fresh fruit. Cut back on the amount you’ve been eating, and let’s see if that does the trick.”

As they left, the younger man said, “You didn’t even examine the woman. How’d you come to that diagnosis so quickly?”

I didn’t have to. If you noticed, I dropped my stethoscope on the floor in there. When I bent over to pick it up, I noticed half a dozen banana peels in the trash. That was what was probably making her sick.

The younger doctor said, “Pretty clever. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll try that at the next house.”

Around in the next house, they spent several minutes talking with this younger woman. She said that she just didn’t have the energy that she once had. “I’m feeling terribly run down,” she said.

“You’ve probably been doing too much for the church.” the younger doctor said to her. “Perhaps you should cut back a little bit and see if that helps.”

As they left, the old doctor said, “You know that woman well. Your diagnosis is most certainly correct. She’s very active at the church, but how did you arrive at that conclusion?”

“That’s what you did at the last house. I dropped my stethoscope, and when I bent down to retrieve it, I noticed the priest under the bed.”

Photo by Milo Bunnik on Unsplash