Listening to patients is not enough

This case illustrates the unfortunate but persistent misunderstanding of medicine by members of the legal profession, who seem to imagine that all decisions are based on simple binary choices. Subtlety, nuance, even iterative development of an idea seem to be alien notions to them. To say that history-taking is a 'basic skill' which should be possessed in equal measure by a senior house officer and an experienced consultant is like saying that a rookie detective should be able to solve a case as quickly and easily as Sherlock Holmes.