# I just had a “who’s on first” interaction with a patient **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982 "2024-02-01T18:17:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/21 "2024-02-02T00:42:47Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Probably apocryphal but I heard of a medical office with a Dr. White and a Dr. Wong. My PCP is Dr. Wong. My mother’s dentist was Wang (pronounced Wong.) I think my doctor’s practice does have a doctor White, but it’s a big practice. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/22 "2024-02-02T00:50:07Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I told her it was knotweed. She asked if I knew what it was. I said knotweed and again she asked what it was. So I spelled it for her and then we were good. I asked my neighbor if he knew what kind of tree a certain tree was. “Pearlwood”. “Huh? Never heard of that kind of tree before.” “No, Pearl would!” Pearl was his wife. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/23 "2024-02-02T03:18:31Z")
[Hu on 1st](https://www.facebook.com/share/mNsFGin4VsWx5A9B/?mibextid=WC7FNe) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/24 "2024-02-02T13:36:15Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I feel like a certain Steely Dan song might fit right in here. > [@CairoCarol](#): > > I always wanted that Steely Dan song to be some kind of oblique Ringworld reference, but the lyrics didn’t really match up with the Ringworld universe, alas. It’d be polite if you folks making literary / entertainment allusions included a link or at least a title for the allusion-challenged amongst us who’d like to play along at home too. As befits somebody my (all ours’) age I certainly know some Steely Dan songs. None of which come to mind with these scant clues. Sorry to be obtuse, but won’t somebody throw me a bone here? ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/25 "2024-02-02T13:42:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Sorry to be obtuse, but won’t somebody throw me a bone here? Dr Wu, I think? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/26 "2024-02-02T13:42:09Z")
Thanks – I had the same question! ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/27 "2024-02-02T13:44:57Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > My apologies to the apparently new rheumatologist in town, Dr. Yu. If she had only said DOCTOR YU, I wouldn’t have looked so stupid. OH - MY - GOD! This is so funny!! 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/28 "2024-02-02T14:34:41Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > I told her it was knotweed. She asked if I knew what it was. I said knotweed and again she asked what it was. So I spelled it for her and then we were good. > > I asked my neighbor if he knew what kind of tree a certain tree was. > “Pearlwood”. > “Huh? Never heard of that kind of tree before.” > “No, Pearl would!” Pearl was his wife. Reminds me of a joke my father-in-law used to tell. An old man is telling his friends about this great restaurant that he and his wife had dinner at recently. His friends ask him the name of the restaurant. The old man says “What’s the name of that flower, they smell really good, have thorns…” One of his friends says “A rose?” The old man says “Yes, that’s it!” Then he calls over his shoulder “Rose? What’s the name of that restaurant we went to last week?” ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/29 "2024-02-02T15:02:41Z")
Another joke. NY’er talking to a guy wearing a 10 gallon Slim Pickens special, identifies himself as a Texan… “So, what town in Texas are you from?” “Plain ol’ Texas.” “Yes, I get that, but what town were you born in?” “Plain ol’ Texas!” [Meant Plano Texas of course] ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/30 "2024-02-02T15:21:04Z")
Presumably _Dr. Wu_, from Katy Lied. My own real-world version of this story: many years ago I was coaching a FIRST LEGO League team of girls. We had two girls named Emily. Last names were Yu and (let’s say) Jones. They’re discussing some task, and someone says, “Emily should do that”. Jones asks, “Which Emily?” and the answer is, of course, “You”. [Or “Yu”.] And we all looked at each other and went “Um…” ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/31 "2024-02-02T15:22:10Z")
Oops, that’s what I get for starting a post after carefully verifying that nobody has replied and then not finishing it for several hours! ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/32 "2024-02-02T15:39:26Z")
A Southern belle meets a group of preppy young men at a party: “Where did y’all go to college?” “Yale.” “Okay…WHERE DID Y’ALL GO TO COLLEGE?” ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/33 "2024-02-02T16:44:47Z")
There was an episode of _Taxi_ where the spacey “Reverend” Jim was taking the written driving test. The others were helping him (ie, cheating). JIM: What does a yellow light mean? OTHER: Slow down. JIM: What… does… a… yellow… light… mean? (Repeated many times) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/34 "2024-02-02T17:11:26Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > $10 says she kept saying “Yu” on purpose. > > I might have. If I had a Dr. Yu, I’d milk it for everything I could get. I wonder if there’s a Dr. Stat working anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/35 "2024-02-02T17:22:04Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > Sorry to be obtuse, but won’t somebody throw me a bone here? > > Dr Wu, I think? And that is informative how? ETA … It turns out there’s a song by that name: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w58E2S315a4/hqdefault.jpg "Steely Dan - Doctor Wu") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w58E2S315a4) It’s instantly recognizable to me as a Steely Dan tune; their sound is pretty distinctive. But I’m sure I’ve never heard it before, not ever heard of it before. The lyrics ring no bells. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/36 "2024-02-02T17:40:52Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > > > Dr Wu, I think? > > And that is informative how? Well, you asked which song, and I made a suggestion. I’ll grant that it’s not one of their best-known songs, but it seems to fit with what was being discussed? I’m not all that surprised you haven’t heard it. Katy Lied is not one of their better-known albums. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/37 "2024-02-02T17:54:44Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I feel like a certain Steely Dan song might fit right in here. Sorry for the confusion. I originally was going to post _Are you with me Doctor Hu?_ _Are you really just a shadow_ _Of the man that I once knew?_ _Are you crazy are you high?_ _Or just an ordinary guy?_ –but that probably would’ve been just as cryptic to any non-Dan fans. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/38 "2024-02-02T17:56:49Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > but it seems to fit with what was being discussed? To be completely clear: it’s just the title that people were referring to, I think? I don’t think the actual lyrics of the song have anything to do with it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/39 "2024-02-02T17:59:56Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > –but that probably would’ve been just as cryptic to any non-Dan fans. Ha Ha! I think we should have an entrance exam for posters on the board. A full knowledge of Steely Dan and Monty Python should be a minimum requirement… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982/40 "2024-02-02T18:06:01Z")
The show _30 Rock_ had a similar running joke but it was about Dr. Spaceman. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UbmNfPdVtp8/maxresdefault.jpg "Liz Meets Dr. Spaceman | 30 Rock") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbmNfPdVtp8) The joke is that the character Tracy Jordan is ranting about “Doctor Space Man” while reacting badly to medication, and of course the assumption is that he’s hallucinating. Then they find the prescription bottle that says “Dr. Spaceman”, and it turns out it’s pronounced “Spa-Che-Men”. For more hilarity around Dr. Spaceman as ably played by Chris Parnell (also known as the voice of Cyril on _Archer_ and a million other things), here is a “best of” clip: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/TuXL9RN70Bo/maxresdefault.jpg "Hilarious Dr. Spaceman | The Best Of Dr. Spaceman | 30 Rock") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuXL9RN70Bo) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-had-a-who-s-on-first-interaction-with-a-patient/996982.md?page=3)