Let's go over a couple key points in this analogy. First and foremost, because Johnny can't speak, the doctor must run a series of broad tests to discover the problem. If he forgets to run a specific test, doesn't know about a new test, or just doesn't feel that a specific test is necessary-for example, looking into Johnny's ears-he can easily misdiagnose. The point is that because Johnny can't tell the doctor where the pain is, the doctor must run more tests than he would need to if Johnny could talk.

The second point is that the doctor must know about the child's physiology to solve the problem. While he may be able to diagnose the problem, unless he knows children's physiology, he will need to refer Johnny's mother to a specialist.

Consider a very different situation. Johnny has grown up and is now an adult, John. John is not feeling well, so he visits his doctor. The doctor asks John where it hurts, and John responds by moving his elbow and saying, "It hurts when I do this!" The doctor then responds by telling John to stop moving his elbow and escorts him out of her office. No, just joking. Because John told the doctor specifically about the pain, the doctor runs a few very isolated tests. She then will say something like, "Based on what you told me, the few isolated tests I ran, my years of experience, and my in-depth knowledge of the human body, this is the problem and this is what you need to do."