ABSTRACT
Uncertainty is an inherent part of life as a healthcare professional. Biological systems are variable, complex and unpredictable, and our understanding of them is incomplete. Terms such as idiopathic and syndrome are therefore an essential part of this process of converting mystery into an apparently soluble puzzle and as such are not neutral descriptions as is claimed, but symbols of hope and belief. Orthodox medicine gets around this issue by turning people into 'interesting cases'. Confidence comes with increasing knowledge and experience, and it is right for the healthcare professional to make every effort to keep up to date in order to minimise the uncertainty that stems from lack of information or expertise. Patience is a key quality in the struggle against uncertainty. Aristotle's idea was that the competent maker of moral decisions possesses a faculty he called phronesis, typically translated as 'practical wisdom'.
