The devil in the detail

Reading of demonic possession in the BMJ of 6 October (“A memorable patient” 2001;323:794), I was reminded of a salutary experience in the warmth of a Cypriot night many years ago. It had been a warm September evening with the temperature close to 27°C, the sort where you sit out in the gentle breeze, watching the brilliant stars, enjoying a brandy-sour (when not on duty), and reflecting on life as a young army doctor on a Mediterranean island.

I was the duty casualty doctor at a military hospital and was called in the small hours of the morning to see an hysterical patient causing problems …