She was a middle aged patient. The Resident Doctors called me to see her.
"She has complaints suggestive of urinary stress incontinence" the Registrar said.
"OK" I said. The patient was already on the examination table. "When I ask you to cough, I want you to cough twice" I told the patient. "Please cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief when you cough."
"Yes. doctor" she said.
I took up the examiner's seat and said "Please cough".
She coughed twice as instructed, but did not cover her mouth despite instructions. My facial expression must have showed my feelings, because she covered her nose and mouth after the act was long over. I had a sudden thought.
"May I know what is your husband's occupation?" I askd her.
"He drives a taxi" she said.
"Ah!" I said.
"What did you mean by that 'Ah!' Sir?" my Assistant Professor asked me after she went away.
"A taxi driver cuts the lane and comes into your lane without a signal. When you honk in protest, he puts out a hand to give the signal that indicates he will enter your lane ahead of you. He does that to show that he has gone through the motion, and you should be satisfied. His wife was like that. She covered her mouth and nose after coughing, only to satisfy me. Both of them either did not understand that doing those things after the harm was already done by their primary acts was no good, or they thought we were dumb enough to be satisfied with what they did as an afterthought, or did not care what we thought. They seem to be made for each other."
He laughed and then said "Sir, but how do you know her husband does that when he drives?"
"Yeah, you have a point there" I said. "He may be the type who cuts into your lane without a signal and makes no response when you honk in protest."
"She has complaints suggestive of urinary stress incontinence" the Registrar said.
"OK" I said. The patient was already on the examination table. "When I ask you to cough, I want you to cough twice" I told the patient. "Please cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief when you cough."
"Yes. doctor" she said.
I took up the examiner's seat and said "Please cough".
She coughed twice as instructed, but did not cover her mouth despite instructions. My facial expression must have showed my feelings, because she covered her nose and mouth after the act was long over. I had a sudden thought.
"May I know what is your husband's occupation?" I askd her.
"He drives a taxi" she said.
"Ah!" I said.
"What did you mean by that 'Ah!' Sir?" my Assistant Professor asked me after she went away.
"A taxi driver cuts the lane and comes into your lane without a signal. When you honk in protest, he puts out a hand to give the signal that indicates he will enter your lane ahead of you. He does that to show that he has gone through the motion, and you should be satisfied. His wife was like that. She covered her mouth and nose after coughing, only to satisfy me. Both of them either did not understand that doing those things after the harm was already done by their primary acts was no good, or they thought we were dumb enough to be satisfied with what they did as an afterthought, or did not care what we thought. They seem to be made for each other."
He laughed and then said "Sir, but how do you know her husband does that when he drives?"
"Yeah, you have a point there" I said. "He may be the type who cuts into your lane without a signal and makes no response when you honk in protest."
