Fibs

How much distortion can we make in retelling a narrative? By a long way.

On most days, we tell stories from memories and in our own style. In other words, we create stories. To remember something verbatim is a difficult task, made more so when exaggeration and minimization aren't considered lies.

My recent conversation with representative from drug company provides a nifty example. A pharmaceutical sales representative came to solicit my opinion about the recent treatment guideline for prescribing an expensive anaemia drug. To help you set the scene in your mind's eye, I should tell you that he approached me after my whole day of clinic sessions. My face and eyes looked tired, perhaps the result of seeing too many patients. Though I had tried to listen to his question to make sense of it, I could not.

"But wait," the sales representative told me, "I will keep the question brief. What do you think about the latest U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendation to start treatment of anaemia in patients with kidney disease when haemoglobin level drops below 10?"

"I hear you," I replied after blinking a few times and swallowing what felt like a large goldfish, "but did you omit the second part of the new FDA recommendation? The gist of their new advice is not to make it a must to achieve a haemoglobin level of 10; they didn't define how far below 10 is appropriate to initiate drug treatment."

"Yes, good points," he answered, permitting himself the slightest trace of a smile.