Honesty, my mum always used to tell me, is the best policy. Of course, this didn't include her when she told me that if I didn't eat all my vegetables Father Christmas would find out and wouldn't give me any presents.
我妈妈经常告诉我，诚实是最好的为人之道。当然，这还不包括她告诉我，如果我不把所有的蔬菜都吃光，圣诞老人发现了会不给我任何礼物。
But when it comes to medicine, I had assumed it was important to always be honest with my patients. After all, the doctor-patient relationship is based on trust, and therefore honesty is essential, or so I thought.
但说到就医，我一直认为对我的病人诚实是很重要的。毕竟，医患关系是建立在信任的基础上的，因此诚实必不可少，至少我是这么认为的。
I had just started working in geriatrics. Mr. McMahon was brought in when his body was found very swollen. I took a medical history from his daughter who had accompanied him in the ambulance. She'd been his main carer for years. I stood looking at him as she gave a detailed history. "Has he lost any weight recently?" I asked, "Well, it's funny you should mention that, but yes. "She said slowly. There was silence for a few moments." Why? What are you worried about?" she asked, I hesitated. She was obviously very involved in his care and it was only fair that I told her the truth. "Well, we need to prove it's not cancer. " I said and talked briefly about some of the tests I was going to order.
我刚开始从事老年病科。麦克马洪先生被带进了诊室，他的身体肿得很厉害。我从陪同他乘坐救护车的女儿那里了解了病史。多年来，女儿一直是他的主要照顾者。她详细讲述病史，我站在那里看着麦克马洪先生。“他最近体重减轻了吗？”我问。“嗯，你应该提这个，很有趣，答案是的。”她慢慢地说。沉默了一会儿。“为什么？你担心什么？”她问，我犹豫了一下。她显然非常关心父亲的照顾，告诉她真相是合适的。“嗯，我们需要证明这不是癌症。”我说，并简要地谈到了我将要进行的一些检查。
Half an hour later, a nurse called me: "Mr. McMahon's daughter broke down－she said you told her he had cancer. " My heart sank. By the time I arrived at the ward, my consultant was already there, explaining that we still had to run lots of tests and that it was by no means confirmed that he had cancer. I stood silently at the end of the bed. My consultant was obviously angry with me and as we left Mr. McMahon, she turned to me. "Why on earth did you do that?" she asked in disbelief. I looked at her and bit my lip. "She asked me what I was worried about and I told her. " I said, hanging my head. "And give her more to worry about?" replied my consultant. "You don't say the word 'cancer' until it's confirmed. Even if you suspect it, think very carefully before you tell people. "
半小时后，一位护士打电话给我：“麦克马洪先生的女儿崩溃了，她说你告诉她她父亲得了癌症。”我的心一沉。当我到达病房时，我的顾问医师已经在那里了，他解释说我们还需要做很多检查，而且还没有确认他患有癌症。我静静地站在床头。我的顾问医师显然对我很生气，当我们离开麦克马洪先生时，她转向我。“你到底为什么这样做？”她难以置信地问道。我看着她，咬了咬嘴唇。“她问我担心什么，我告诉了她。”我低头说道。“让她更担心吗？”我的顾问医师回答，“在确诊之前，你不要说‘癌症’这个词。即使你怀疑它，在告诉别人之前也要仔细考虑。”
As it turned out, it wasn't cancer. But I did learn that when someone is stressed and worried about their loved one they're sometimes selective in what they hear－and as a doctor it's important to be mindful of this. In being truthful, I'd made the situation worse.
结果出来后这不是癌症。但我确实了解到，当一个人为亲人感到压力和担忧时，他们有时会对听到的内容有所选择，作为一名医生，重要的是要注意这一点。说实话，我把情况搞糟了。
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