In the old days, on many ships, a so-called “symptom log” was always kept in the doctor’s chest, in which the symptoms of various diseases were recorded and how they changed day by day.
But that’s not all, the diagnosis was followed by an instruction on what in such and such cases should be given to the patient and in what doses. Each medicine stored in the medical chest had its own number.
One day a sailor fell ill on the ship. All symptoms, according to the “magazine,” pointed to number 11. However, the captain was saddened to discover that the bottle behind this number was empty. But it didn't bother him too much.
“No big deal,” said the captain, “if that’s the case, give the patient the same dose of number 6 and number 5.”
The sailor was sick for a long time. Fortunately, he recovered, but whether it was thanks to his endurance or the captain’s resourcefulness, we won’t tell you for sure.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru