A Matter of Terminology.

Being more than a little interested in words and terminology, it intrigues me to note that the discharge reports sent by the hospital to the GP and patient never refer to me as having been ‘admitted’ to hospital. They always use the word ‘presented.’ Neither do they ever refer to me as a man or a male, it’s always ‘gentleman.’

This gentleman was presented to the Royal Derby Hospital on…’

There’s something oddly archaic about it, something almost Victorian in its linguistic sensibility, something which evokes images of the early days of modern medical practice. It’s why I can’t decide whether it makes me sound like some sort of prize or some sort of specimen.