The patient, a forty-four-year-old female, presents with ringing in the right ear. She describes her situation to the doctor using as few words as possible. She hopes to signal, via her narrative concision, that she understands and respects the doctor’s time constraints.

The doctor asks a few follow-up questions. Do you suffer from migraines? Yes, the patient suffers from migraines. Are you dizzy? Not dizzy, the patient says. What she feels more resembles occasional motion sickness.

The doctor looks in the patient’s ear. “You may be in the very early stages of Ménière’s disease. Don’t look it up online,”…