Evidence of Things Not Seen: The Match, Vienna & Unknown Unknowns

This will not be true forever. But because our patients can’t wait for perfect diagnostic tests, the diagnosis of exclusion remains a useful concept. It reminds us all to think nimbly about our patients, to have faith in our clinical acumen and—most importantly—to remain open to evidence of things not seen.

Philip Seo, MD, MHS, is an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore. He is director of both the Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center and the Johns Hopkins Rheumatology Fellowship Program.

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Author’s note: I would like to thank Anisha B. Dua, MD, MPH, for graciously allowing me to comment on her editorial, which you should definitely read for yourself.¹¹