Observation and Documentation Still the Foundation of Medical Practice

“There is no more difficult art to acquire than the art of observation, and for some men it is quite as difficult to record an observation in brief and plain language.”

-- Sir William Osler

In this age of evidence-based medicine and randomized clinical trials, it is easy to forget that careful clinical observation and documentation are the foundation of medical practice. In their Photo Essay “Pityriasis Rosea in Dark-Skinned Children,” Drs Amer and Fischer illustrate their observations for us in brief and plain language that I am sure Dr Osler would approve of.