Zebra (medical)

For other uses, please see Zebra (disambiguation).

Zebra is a slang medical term for an obscure and unlikely diagnosis from ordinary symptoms.

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It derives from the aphorism "When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra," which was probably coined by Dr. Theodore Woodward, a former professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine.^[1] It is also phrased as "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."^[2]

A similar term for an obscure and rare diagnosis in medicine is fascinoma.

Other Heuristics for Medical Diagnosis

• Sutton's Law - perform first the diagnostic test expected to be most useful
• Occam's Razor - multiple causes should not be posited without reason
• Leonard's Law of Physical Findings^[3] - it's obvious or it's not there
• KISS Principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Uses

• The House of God - a novel about medical internship.

References

1. ^ Sotos, John. Zebra Cards—Aphorism Inventor. URL: http://zebracards.com/a-intro_inventor.html. Accessed: January 2, 2006.
2. ^ Dr. Cox, Scrubs, episode My Balancing Act
3. ^ Sotos, John. Zebra Cards. Philadelphia: American College of Physicians, 1989.