Greg Henry: 1946-2024

Favorite Henry-isms:

1. “The white blood cell count is the last refuge of the intellectually destitute.”
2. “The biggest impediment to the correct diagnosis is the previous diagnosis.”
3. “There are three great lies in life—the check is in the mail, size doesn’t matter, and all systems reviewed and otherwise negative.”
4. “Medicine is show business for ugly people.”
5. “You can call me a bad husband. You can call be a bad father.  But don’t you ever call me a bad doctor; now I’m offended.”
6. “When a patient bounces back, they are giving you another chance to get the diagnosis right. If someone comes to the ED three times in a month, then admit them. I don’t care if it’s the pizza guy delivering a pizza. If he comes to the ED three times, I admit him.”
7. “To diagnose a stroke: Watch them walk. Listen to them talk. Look at their eyes. Your neuro exam is never done until you’ve watched them walk.”
8. “In medicine and life, don’t ask questions you don’t really want to know the answer to. I’m happily married … so why would I ask my wife if she’s cheating on me?”
9. “The mortality rate in this country has not changed—it is still one death per person.”
10. “Every time I put on the white coat, I stop for two minutes and remember Galen and Hippocrates.  ‘To whatever house I shall enter, it shall be for the benefit of the sick.’ At that moment I am Doctor of Medicine; I carry with me a 2,500-year tradition, and shame on me if I do not carry it out with dignity for the next eight hours. . For that period of time, I am the agent and servant of the patient—I am proud to be the servant of the sick. I put on that coat and I’m a better person.”

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TALES FROM THE ER – YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP

The Death of Critical Thinking in Emergency Medicine

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