Zebra (medical)

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

It derives from the aphorism "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras", [Dr. Cox, Scrubs, episode "My Balancing Act"] which was probably coined by Dr. Theodore Woodward, a former professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine.Fact|date=January 2008

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

Other medical aphorisms

* 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 - it's obvious or it's not there [Sotos, John. Zebra Cards. Philadelphia: American College of Physicians, 1989.]
* KISS Principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid

Uses

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

References