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Physician and writer Lisa Sanders knows of one case in which a doctor's Google search diagnosed a patient's rare malady (a vomiting syndrome caused by heavy marijuana use). And today's high-tech scans and lab tests aid many a tough diagnosis. But, she says, much still can be revealed through a doctor's careful use of hands, eyes, ears and mind.
Sanders, a Yale University internist, writes the monthly Diagnosis column in The New York Times Magazine and is technical adviser to Fox TV's House (back Sept. 21). I spoke with her about the show and her new book: Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis.

Q: What exactly do you do forHouse?

A: The part that I love the most is when they call up and say here's the character, here's the setup, what terrible thing could he get? I come up with the wacky diseases. … I also read the scripts to try to keep them from making mistakes. But if they think (a change) is going to cost them in terms of drama, the drama and comedy will always win out.