It was the week before Christmas. I was a singlehanded general practitioner with a list of 2800 and I was short of sleep, having been called out in the night. I looked at my appointments at the beginning of evening surgery—fully booked and with a few extras put in. Also, I was late starting. My first patient was a real heart sink. I groaned and invited her into the consulting room.
“Do sit down, Elsie. Now let me see—I saw you in January twice with backache. In February it was headache and constipation. The March winds did blow and caused you to feel queer all over. During April you had waterworks trouble and no appetite.” I warmed to my task and chronicled the various ailments and specimens brought to me throughout the year, finishing up with “and here we are in December. What have you come to see me about this time?” She produced a crumpled brown paper bag and placed it on the desk before me. “I have brought you your Christmas present, doctor, and I wish you Happy Christmas.” I spent the next 10 minutes being kind to her and feeling much humbled. My surgery finished later than ever.
And the moral? Always be kind to your patients—especially at Christmas.