Radiology

You may think the role of radiologists is only to creep about in the basements of hospitals doing tests on the unsuspecting, and picking out medical students at clinical meetings for their own malicious pleasure. This, of course, is tremendous fun, but the question remains: how did we get to be this way? Surely we would be better off if we merely told the radiographers to hand the films over directly to the clinicians. That way they could hold the films up to the nearest light and murmur, “Hmmm, looks a bit patchy and fluffy round there.” However, radiologists have undergone intensive training, so let us pontificate for a while. After that, you can “borrow” the films for the ward round, hold them up to the light, and discuss what you think the problem really is!