Letters

Dr. William G. Wilkoff zeroes in on target again in his column (“Shouldn't We Be Caulking?” January 2009, p. 16). One of the problems, as he implies, is that many labs/tests are ordered out of habit or reflex rather than out of a rational thought process. One reason for this is that a common practice nowadays is to abbreviate or eliminate our most powerful diagnostic tools: taking a history (this implies listening to the answers) and doing a physical exam.