Bonnes oeuvres

[Peacemaker]

A young doctor moved to a small town to take over a retiring doctor's practice. The elder suggested the younger accompany him on his rounds to meet the community. At one house, a woman complained, "I've been a little sick to my stomach." The older doctor said, "Well, you've probably been overdoing the fresh fruit. Cut back a little and see if that does the trick." As they left, the younger doctor said, "You didn't even examine that woman. How did you arrive at a diagnosis so quickly?" "I didn't have to. Did you notice when I dropped my stethoscope on her floor? As I picked it up, I noticed a half-dozen banana peels in the trash so I assumed that was her problem." "Ah," said the younger doctor. "Clever. Let me try the next one." Arriving at the next house, they talked several minutes with a younger woman who complained about her lack of energy. "You've probably been doing too much work for the church," said the younger doctor. "Cut back a bit and see if that helps." As they left, the elder doctor said, "Your diagnosis is probably correct, but how did you arrive at it?" "Well, I dropped my stethoscope just like you did, but when I bent down to pick it up, I saw the preacher hiding under her bed!"