Rather than the current specialty system, where people train on certain types of ailments, often localized to age range and body part, I can think of many other ways to subdivide medicine. Here are the worst:
- Alphabetically: “Oh, I can give you the Measles and Mumps shot, but I’m not really competent to mess with Rubella.”
- By date of discovery: “I may just be a specialist in early colonial medicine, but I really think we should amputate. Drink some rum, I’m going to go borrow a hacksaw.”
- By ethnicity: “I’m sorry, I’m only trained in Pacific Islanders. I hear treating broken bones is similar for your group, but I’m just not comfortable with seeing you.”
- By non-lawlike, non projectable predicates: “Listen, I know all my training was before 2000 and all of my work has been after, but you really just look orellow to me, not yorange. So it can’t be jaundice…”
Ironically, he didn't see it coming.