Published 30 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2644
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2644

Views & Reviews

The Best Medicine

The scholar’s tale

Liam Farrell, Crossmaglen

drfarrell@hotmail.co.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Many of the skills of general practice lie beyond the remit of mere medical science, though I am always circumspect about giving non-medical advice. "Never criticise a brave until you have walked a mile in his moccasins," goes the proverb, to which I might add: "Especially if it’s uphill on a hot day, the brave sweats a lot, he has a fungal foot infection and doubtful personal hygiene, and his moccasins are made out of recycled rubber tyres."

But sometimes we have no choice. General practice is a broad church, because for some reason patients believe that our expertise extends into uncharted seas, where we must boldly go. "Here be dragons," the old cartographers would have said, for we never know what conundrum might next walk through that surgery door.

He was carrying a book, not unusual in itself, but the books are usually chick lit novels or thrillers or . . . [Full text of this article]


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