A depressed gorilla

doi:10.1136/bmj.39245.483900.AD

From trainee to consultant, BMJ Group offers doctors around the world tailored information, special events, learning resources and recruitment services at every step along their career path.

... by doctors, for doctors, for patients
We are open for entries!

Online learning

BMJ Learning

High-quality CME / CPD for doctors and other healthcare professionals. BMJ Learning features hundreds of accredited, peer-reviewed learning modules in text, video, and audio formats. Find out more

Courses and Qualifications

BMJ Masterclasses

BMJ Masterclasses, led by experts, help clinicians to use the latest evidence and recent guidelines in practice and meet their CPD/CME requirements. Find out more

Exam Preparation

The leading provider of online exam preparation, helping over 167,000 healthcare professionals to pass their exams. Find out more

onExamination

Search all BMJ education articles:

From

Limit by

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

Olimpia Claudia Pop, senior house officer, South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, London

popolimpia{at}hotmail.com

My secretary said: “There is a very unusual patient…” (being a psychiatrist, however, I don't find “unusual patients” really come as a surprise to me) “a gorilla, an agitated gorilla.”

“Is it in A&E?” I blurted out.

“No, no, it's in the zoo. The vet wants your advice.”

The whole unit soon knew the story: the consultant in whose catchment area the zoo fell claimed it should be his patient, one colleague asked in …