General
zebra
What does zebra mean?
A rare or exotic diagnosis that an over-keen doctor reaches for when the patient almost certainly has the boring common thing. Used as a warning ('stop zebra hunting') and as praise ('she nailed the zebra'). Med students love them; attendings make them rule out the horse first.
"Chest pain in a 55-year-old smoker isn't a zebra — book the troponin before you start googling porphyria."
Origin
From Dr Theodore Woodward's late-1940s aphorism to his interns at Maryland: 'When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.' In Maryland, hoofbeats meant a horse. The Ehlers-Danlos community reclaimed the zebra as their mascot.
Frequently asked questions
What does Zebra mean in medicine?
A Zebra is a rare diagnosis considered when a common, ordinary explanation is far more likely.
How do you use Zebra in a sentence?
"Don't go hunting for a Zebra when it's probably just the flu."
Where does the medical term Zebra come from?
It comes from the medical saying, 'When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras' — meaning favor the common diagnosis.
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