During her treatment for acute leukaemia, my friend Susan came to me for advice while she was in the hospital receiving chemotherapy.

She went to one of the specialists at a major tertiary care centre and was given the lengthy consultation report written by the oncologist.

Susan had a career as a highly respected and much-loved elementary school principal in our county school district. Her first comment was that in the narrative section discussing her as a patient, the word principal was misspelt (as principle).

Of course, as a former teacher, this would catch her eye. I am not sure if this error reduced her opinion of the physician’s standing or intellect in her estimation.