BMJ  2008;336:1134 (17 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39580.437593.59

Views & Reviews

From the Frontline

The world is round

"The JVP is a unicorn—a myth." All eyes turned to me. I knew it was mistake, a heinous blasphemy. There then followed an unholy medical inquisition. Despite my heresy I still religiously teach students how to test for jugular venous pressure, but when I suggest that it may be of highly limited value their eyes narrow suspiciously. For the JVP test is part of the holy scripture passed down through generations of doctors: the clinical examination.

But much of clinical examination is ritualistic ceremony—mere incense and incantation. Even the iconic stethoscope is really a redundant artefact, a medical prop. Yet cardiologists, with their cardiology stethoscopes, continue to tut and to lambast students on the character and timing of inaudible murmurs, even in the full knowledge of the echocardiogram report. Much clinical examination has remained largely unquestioned through the mists of time and is deployed to uphold a mystical faith in . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• O'Donnell, M. (2008). Salute to the stethoscope. BMJ 336: 1326-1326 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

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Iris P. Gonzalez
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Salute to the stethoscope

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bmj.com, 21 May 2008 [Full text]

The stethoscope is there for life and will remain for good

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bmj.com, 23 May 2008 [Full text]

From Rene Theophille Hyacinthe Laennec to Proctor Harvey

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Try doing an out of hours shift....

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