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zebra

An old medical proverb is, "When you hear hoofbeats in the night, think of horses, not zebras.¹" This is a restatement of the observation that common conditions are common, and rare conditions are rare. We look for the common things first.

A zebra is thus a rare condition which we do not look for first, but we have to include in our list of diagnositic possibilities.

See also Sutton's Law.

¹But of course, my cardiology professor from South Africa had it the other way around.

Night, Night! Dr. Hull's Common Sense Sleep Solutions©

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