Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Papers

Olfactory detection of human bladder cancer by dogs: proof of principle study

BMJ 2004; 329 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.329.7468.712 (Published 23 September 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;329:712

Rapid Response:

Harry Potter's familiars

When it comes to medical magic or any other, the
importance of animal familiars won't surprise anyone
familiar with Harry Potter.

In ancient times, doctors tasted patients' urine to
test for disease. Medicine's come a long way. Today,
doctors
are much more likely to be invited for cocktails.

When people meet, we greet each other with a "how are
you?" So do dogs, just with a different organ, and they get
a much more honest answer. It would be more of a surprise if
they actually couldn't sense illness by scent.

Thank you for your wonderful research. More, please.

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

02 April 2005
Robin Batteau
music
Westport Connecticut US 06880