A Shear Decline

[GoodTaste]

INTERACTIVE MEDICAL CASE
A Shear Decline
J.W. Ostrominski and Others
This interactive case describes a 59-year-old man who presented to the ED with worsening fatigue and headache. While describing his symptoms, he became unable to produce fluent speech. Test your diagnostic and therapeutic skills.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine

Does A Shear Decline mean a decline that is like cutting off from a normal position (so that your health falls like free drop)?

 

[Tarheel]

I believe it's a misspelling of "sheer".

 

[Tdol]

You have got the right idea of the meaning.

 

[emsr2d2]

I've tried to read the entire article online but it's subscription-only. I dearly want it to be a pun and for it to turn out that the patient's problems have been caused by his interacting with sheep to separate them from their wool. That would be quite clever.

@GoodTaste - what's the rest of the story?

 

[GoodTaste]

I've tried to read the entire article online but it's subscription-only. I dearly want it to be a pun and for it to turn out that the patient's problems have been caused by his interacting with sheep to separate them from their wool. That would be quite clever.

@GoodTaste - what's the rest of the story?

Thank you for trying hard to figure it out. But his Social History reports no recent contact with animals.

 

[Tarheel]

@GoodTaste I'm sure she was kidding about the sheep.