Zebra (medical)


 * For other uses, please see Zebra (disambiguation).

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

It derives from the aphorism "When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra," which was probably coined by Dr. Theodore Woodward, a former professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine. It is also phrased as "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."

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

Other Heuristics for Medical Diagnosis

 * 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
 * KISS Principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Uses

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