Disclaimer

Why callest thou me good? there is  none good but one, that is,  God.

Breathtaking speed of molecular scientific advances threaten the practice of medicine as art. And while all art and no science, with respect to this practice of Medicine, make for mere quackery, all science and no art merely make for bad medicine. The practice of Medicine is both art and science. Medicine is a social  science. The word “doctor,” after all, means teacher. Whether relating to patients, parents, pupils, or even colleagues, for that matter, doctors are first and foremost guides. It is worth bearing that in mind. Teaching, too, is an art.

To teach is to know. At the turn of the nineteenth century, French moralist and essayist, Joseph Joubert, further claimed that “to teach is to learn twice”. Yet there will always remain gaps in knowledge and a need for life-long learning. Hence we remain both disciples  and teachers at the same time. Knowledge of science, on its own, is not the whole practice of Medicine. Scientific knowledge is no more the practice of medicine than high-school calculus is successful space rocketry. And in these heady days there is a tendency, moreover, to an information overload. Best to pick and choose from whom to hear. That is an art in itself.

The Good Doctor  aims to demonstrate basic front-line medical care of the all-too-common individual who all-too-commonly tumbles into cracks in the system, remains generally poorly cared for, a conundrum, or generally overlooked and under-represented by traditional teaching. In many ways, this Clinic reflects a back-to-basics approach to Medicine—the learning from first principles—yet still governed by the imperative of timely action through focused clinical assessment.

In order to fulfill this obligation, The Good Doctor  handles the occasional volatile, caustic substance: not necessarily restricted material, yet equally not designed for general public regard. Regardless, matters here cannot (necessarily do not) replace standard medical opinion and care in your region. While all care is taken toward accuracy of matters herewith, by its very nature error can occur; often in simple transcription alone, for instance. There is no substitute for individual due diligence and discretion. Your  due diligence and discretion.

Welcome. The doctor is in. Avail yourself of comestibles in the scullery but please note local custom preference for ethanolic hand rub prior to entering the parlour.

And while The Good Doctor remains a fervent promoter of expressed patient wish and shared decision making informed by evidence, he equally remains alert to his professional duty to opine and intervene where necessary. This Clinic prioritises on such a need-to-know basis.

You need not know everything; you need know everything that you need to know.

Here’s to those who have gone before, the shoulders of giants, as it were, and to those also who come after—in they whom we place our trust. For much of what you will find here is a compilation of the work of others, modified and arranged and redacted to serve the present need: the aim here is to provide that compilation, that certain mix of knowledge and nous, together not available elsewhere. The aim here is to provide some foundation for all to aspire to be The Good Doctor.