Consultations in Dermatology: Studies of Orphan and Unique Patients


Prayer for the Orphan Patient

Listen to me
Don't be cynical, indifferent, or in a hurry.
Ask me what makes my problem better or worse.
Ask me what I think the cause is.
Ask me to look for clues and teach me what they are.

Think about me
Think of my problem when you read those books, journals, and atlases.
Think of my problem when you attend meetings.
Think of asking your colleagues about me.

Test me
Order specific tests to help you decide on my diagnosis and treatment.
Could I have AIDS, cancer, or lupus?
Do I need a biopsy?
A challenge with a medication?
Do I need hospital help?
Do I need to see a consultant?

Don't give up on me
There is always one more treatment you can try.
Just imagine I have a different disease and treat me for that.
See me during an attack to get new ideas and new tests.
Ask me lots of questions during every visit.
I won't give up on you, for I am an orphan.



Advanced Dermatologic Diagnosis (amazon link)
Aforisms from this Walter Shelley book:
“Therapy sails on the winds of diagnosis”,
“The placebo effect comes from the physician; not the prescription”,
“A fully informed patient is a fully frightened patient”,
“Disease thrives on pessimism”,
“Patients hear better when you write it down”,
“Therapeutic nihilism may be the best way to approach the facts, but not the patient”

Dr. Walter Shelley, short biography(pdf link)

One column LIFELINE Walter Shelley, The Lancet Dec 1997
Soorry, but this interview doesn't have free access.

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That people won’t read what I write.

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