The door handle sign

doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7449.1187

BMJ 2004;328:1187 (15 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7449.1187

Filler

The door handle sign

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

She had been to see me several times during the previous fewmonths with a variety of minor and seemingly insignificant symptoms.This occasion was no different; she had a minor degree of halluxvalgus, a runny nose, and some contact dermatitis on her wrist.She was, however, clearly very unhappy, but I could not discoveran underlying cause. After a long and unsatisfactory consultation,she left my consulting room leaving me aware that I had failedto meet her need. Fortunately, as she closed the door behindher, I noticed that the handle continued to turn unnecessarilytwo or three times.

I followed her into the by now crowded waiting room and askedher to come back. "I think there is something you haven't toldme," I said. Immediately she burst into tears and started toundo her dress. Her chest was swathed in purulent bandages,which covered a . . . [Full text of this article]

John Williams, retired palliative medicine physician

St Austell