Patient, it's time for you to die!

In the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, a rheumatologist at one of the English clinics described a curious case that occurred in his department in April of this year.

During the doctor's round, one extremely upset patient said that he was very pleased with the treatment and care he was receiving, but the clock on the wall in his ward said that it was his time to die.

Turning to the wall, the bewildered doctors, to their surprise, actually saw the inscription "DIE" on the electronic clock, which in English reads like "DIE".

It turned out that the clock was translated into German and showed an abbreviation for "Dienstag", which means "Tuesday" in German. After pressing a few buttons on the clock, the corresponding English abbreviation "TUE" (from the English Tuesday) appeared and the patient was assured that the gloomy omen was only a ridiculous misunderstanding.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on BMJ materials: Hospital clock delivers an unwelcome message.

16.12.2013