The influence of a third party on a medical consultation

As doctors solicitous in the need for privacy, we may find it difficult to accept the presence of a third party; as teachers of medicine we must encourage their presence. We must also recognise that their presence may alter the nature of our practices. The tradition of the bipartite consultation, even if it has its origins in ecclesiastical history, cannot be sacrificed completely in the interests of teaching. Careful thought must be given to how much modification of the medical consultation can be allowed. At the same time recognition of the attitude of other professions to the use of pupillage in teaching might save some time and thought. Lawyers have been using this technique for generations, and they like ourselves are concerned with the same kind of human confidence.