Frog

You may think although it is difficult to rectify, professors do not commonly teach something wrong to his students.

Yes, that's true.

The real problem is usually not right or wrong, but that each teacher has a different degree of flexibility to the detail. For example, one insists to use a key for the plantar response while another allows the tip of tendon hammer (the latter instrument was strictly prohibited for such a purpose in the old days, but many people are more lenient now), or one asks for the serum potassium level two hours after the first dose of intramuscular vitamin B12 (for the risk of fatal hypokalemia), while the other considers the chance too low and does not even mention in the tutorial.

And I have no answer, although when faced with a situation like this, I always remind myself a frog placed in a pan of cold water that is gradually brought to a boil would eventually be cooked to death.

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At this moment, a little story of DY, my professor of neuroanatomy, comes to my mind:

"This book is no good," he told our class.

"Why? It's quite sufficient for practice and examination." One of us asked.

"Yes, it contains 70% of all the material," the professor explained, "The problem is, an ordinary student would only remember 70% of what he is taught, and 70% of 70% makes 49%, which is not enough to pass."

PS. His original saying in Cantonese was more vivid:

七七四十九, 啱啱要supple.

("Supple" of course stands for supplementary examination.)