A Study of Story Telling, Humour and Learning in Medicine: H M Queen Mother Fellowship, Eighth Lecture

Kenneth Calman Stationery Office, £17.50, pp 175 ISBN 0 11 702516 X

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In an apocryphal cartoon, a general practitioner opens his door to call for the next patient and reveals the slogan on his T shirt: “Campaign for real ailments.” You smiled, perhaps, out of empathy with the doctor in the picture and also at the incongruity of a doctor boldly displaying such a sentiment when seeing patients. The joke throws into focus the difficult task of maintaining one's professional demeanour during trivial or challenging consultations. We've all been there, ha ha.

Having dissected this story, …