What does horses not zebras mean?

hear hoofbeats
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.” If you’re not familiar with the expression, it means that when searching for an explanation, you should always consider obvious possibilities before thinking about more unlikely options.

When you hear a hoof think horses are not zebras?

One of the things that they teach new physicians is the phrase “When you hear hoofs, think horse, not zebra.” The principle is quite simple — the odds are the patient has the more common diagnosis than a rare, improbable one.

What does the slang term zebra mean?

zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa. (Originates in the advice often given to medical students: “When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras.”) noun. (vulgar, pejorative, slang) A bi-racial person, specifically one born to a member of the Sub-Saharan African race and a Caucasian.

When you hear hoofbeats think of horses not zebras origin?

It is shorthand for the aphorism coined in the late 1940s by Theodore Woodward, professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who instructed his medical interns: “When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don’t expect to see a zebra”.

What is the significance of the idiom when you hear hoof beats think horses not zebras in relation to diagnostics?

In medical school many doctors are taught the old saying “when you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras”, which means that doctors should consider the most likely possibility first when thinking of a diagnosis.

What does the quote when you hear hoofbeats think of horses not zebras meaning?

“Doctors are taught ‘when you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras,’ meaning a doctor should first think about what is a more common—and potentially more likely—diagnosis. But in genetics, we think of all the zebras,” Bardakjian said.

Why are zebras mean?

Zebras can defend their herd and territory by kicking, biting, and pushing predators. They will engage in similar aggressive behavior when another stallion attempts to take over their herd, or to display dominance in mating.

What does looking for zebras mean?

There’s a saying in diagnostic medicine, “When you hear hoofbeats, don’t look for zebras,” meaning that diagnosis begins with the simplest, most likely answer and proceeds in a methodical way. Only after eliminating the obvious should one probe for something more rare or unlikely.

Why are zebras so mean?

They will engage in similar aggressive behavior when another stallion attempts to take over their herd, or to display dominance in mating. If a zebra is attacked, other zebras come to its defense and form a circle around it to ward off the predator.

Who said if you hear hoofbeats think horses not zebras?

Dr. Theodore Woodward
Coined in the late 1940s by Dr. Theodore Woodward, professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Do hoofbeats mean zebras?

Hoofbeats usually mean horses not zebras. I understand that in some medical schools one of the first things medical students are taught is, “When you hear the sound of hoofbeats, think of horses before zebras.” Often the most obvious explanation for a child’s behavior is the simplest, physical pain.

Can you think of cybersecurity as a horse without ruling out zebras?

The rule: Think horse without ruling out zebras. This principle of how we as humans tend to overcomplicate things resonates with me, but for a completely different sector which has featured prominently in the news of late — cybersecurity.

What happened to the zebra?

The zebra could have been meningitis or a brain tumor — and the inexperienced practitioner would order thousands of dollars of tests and subject the patient to multiple procedures. But a routine blood count showed that she was simply anemic — the horse — and just needed extra iron.

What does “don’t look for zebras on Greene Street” mean?

The saying means that one (such as a doctor) should look for the expected cause first, rather than the exotic. Dr. Theodore Woodward, who taught at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, told his students, in the 1940s, “Don’t look for zebras on Greene Street” (a street outside the medical school).