2340 Apple FEB MARCH 2016 MkII FINAL PROOF2

Sixth sense
By Dr. Herschil Lewin
A doctors instinct
can make all the
difference
I feel very privileged to be able to help my patients as a
result of the study and training I have received, and the
experience I have gained throughout my 30 year
medical career.
Whilst constant advances in medical science provide
new insight, and the ability to prevent and treat many
illnesses now, many doctors also posses an invaluable
‘sixth sense’ when examining patients.
Sometimes, an internal alarm bell
will ring, and I will be compelled
to check for something purely on
an inexplicable ‘hunch’
This happened to me not so long ago. A mother
brought her nine month old baby boy to me for a
check-up as he had a slightly raised temperature.
Having conducted all the obvious checks with no cause
for alarm, an inner voice told me that something was
still not right. I referred the baby to hospital to be sure,
and his mother took him straight there.
When the baby was being examined in the hospital, he
suddenly developed a rash which hadn’t been evident
before. It turned out to be bacterial meningitis, so the
appropriate medication was administered without
delay. Thankfully he made a full recovery, thanks in part
to being in the right place at the right time.
Similarly, on another occasion a concerned mother
brought her child to see me as he was struggling with a
nasty cold. Maybe parents also develop a sixth sense
when caring for their children, as suddenly his
demeanour changed and I realised that something
more serious was going on. I put the patient on the
couch, and a moment later he stopped breathing and
his eyes rolled up. Although terrifying for the patient
and mother, we were quickly able to resuscitate him
and return his vital signs to a normal level.
Fortunately cases like this are very rare, but they do
happen. Most of the time, the conditions are selflimiting
and everything settles back to normal with little
additional intervention. Even when more serious
conditions are found, modern medicine can now treat
them effectively. During my career, advances in medical
science have given us access to new drugs and
medication, and a deep understanding of how to
administer them for the greatest effect. Guidelines have
been developed to help us treat and monitor
conditions, and there is a huge bank of research and
information which doctors can access to help provide
the best possible service to our patients.
Having successfully tackled so many conditions, patients
now live longer than ever before. As a direct result,
new diseases like dementia have replaced them, and
our aging population has new and different healthcare
needs compared to previous generations.
The challenge of meeting the needs of the patients of
the future goes on. Further amazing advances in
medical science continue to help, but the doctors sixth
sense will always have an important role to play in
looking after patients.
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