A sickening system

It was a rather crackly telephone line. “I can’t come in tonight,” said the junior doctor to the consultant. After a slightly awkward pause she added, quietly, “I’ve got dysmenorrhoea.” Mishearing her words, flustered by the overly detailed description of the problem, and seeking to end the telephone call as quickly as possible, the consultant muttered. “Fine, fine.” Turning to me he said, “What’s she doing having sex when on night shifts anyway?”

Sick leave is always a thorny issue. How unwell is not well enough to come to work? Is it …