first off, you may be confused by the title I choose for my blog. maybe this will help explain:
"Zebra is a medical slang term for a surprising diagnosis. Although rare diseases are, in general, surprising when they are encountered, ..... "When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra",... Since horses are the most commonly encountered hoofed animal and zebras are very rare, logically you could confidently guess that the animal making the hoofbeats is probably a horse. ....
Three master diagnosticians have noted, however, that cautions against making surprising diagnoses (e.g. of a rare disease) are not valid in practitioners with greater knowledge and experience:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_(medicine)In making the diagnosis of the cause of illness in an individual case, calculations of probability have no meaning. The pertinent question is whether the disease is present or not. Whether it is rare or common does not change the odds in a single patient. ... If the diagnosis can be made on the basis of specific criteria, then these criteria are either fulfilled or not fulfilled. -- "
Cushies have adopted the zebra as a mascot for just those reasons.
There is so much to share and I'm not sure where to start, I guess at the beginning.....
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