Oliver Wendell Holmes, the physician, author, and father of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., had little sympathy for patients who thought they were sicker than they actually were.
He was once treating a hypochondriac for a minor ailment. The patient was convinced that he was suffering from some dread diseases. He would read all the medical literature on his imagined illnesses; then, when he came to the office, he would complain that he wasn’t receiving proper treatment and would produce a medical paper to prove it.
On one occasion, he waved a paper under Dr. Holmes’ nose and cried, “Doctor, you’re treating my sickness much too lightly. It says here I could die from what I’ve got!”
“I’ve never known anyone to die of your ailment,” replied Holmes. “However, if you continue to read what you don’t understand, you could die of a misprint.”
–Soundings
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