Jayden Cool
questions Dr. Haskell found no lung cancer (something of a surprise), but the X-rays seemed to show a damned fine case of emphysema, and he told Sam that he’d probably be using oxygen for the rest of his life. It was a bad diagnosis, but give the guy a break. As the doctors say, when you hear hoofbeats, you don’t think zebras. Also, folks have a tendency to see what they’re looking for, don’t they? And although Dr. Haskell died what might be called a hero’s death, no one,including Rusty Everett, ever mistook him for Gregory House. What Sam actually had was bronchitis, and it cleared up not too long after The Wiz made his diagnosis. Question 1: What’s the meaning of this two sentences “As the doctors say, when you hear hoofbeats, you don’t think zebras. Also, folks have a tendency to see what they’re looking for, don’t they?” Question 2: What is the relation between “died a hero’s death” and “Gregory House”?
May 16, 2016 11:14 AM
Answers · 2
Hello! :) “As the doctors say, when you hear hoofbeats, you don’t think zebras." This means that when people perceive something (that does not directly tell them all the relevant information), the first thing that comes to mind is something more common or something commonly thought of. For example, when people see smoke, they usually immediately think "oh no there's a fire!" instead of thinking "ooh, it's a campfire" or "ooh, a million people are gathered over there, smoking away" (hahaha). "Also, folks have a tendency to see what they’re looking for, don’t they?" This means that people are more inclined to see something that they have been thinking about a lot, or something that they had already thought was there. (They might or might not be fully conscious that they had these pre-existing beliefs.) This is called a confirmation bias. Before Dr. Haskell saw the x-rays, he had probably already thought that Sam was suffering from a serious illness. So when Dr. Haskell finally saw the x-rays, there were probably some irregularities in them (like some abnormal dark spots or something) and Dr. Haskell thought "well it's not as serious as cancer, but it really is something else serious like I had previously thought!" [SPOILER ALERT: The following contains possible spoilers for the TV series, House!] (sorry, had to include this warning just in case people reading this intend to watch House haha!) What is the relation between “died a hero’s death” and “Gregory House”? Gregory House is a fictional character (a doctor) from the American TV series "House". I don't watch the series but I understand from a quick glance at the plot summary that Gregory House fakes his death in the finale. But I think I need more context in order to understand the comparison made between Haskell and House. How did Dr. Haskell die?
May 16, 2016
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