An old man finding himself ill sent for a physician, who prescribed for him and went away.
Then the old Man sent for another physician, saying nothing of the first, and an entirely different treatment was ordered.
This continued for some weeks, the physicians visiting him on alternate days and treating him for two different disorders, with constantly enlarging doses of medicine and more and more rigorous nursing. But one day they accidently met at his bedside while he slept, and a violent quarrel ensued when the truth coming out.
"My good friends," said the patient, awakened by the noise of the dispute, and apprehending the cause of it, "pray be more reasonable. If I could for weeks endure you both, can you not for a little while endure each other? I have been well for ten days, but have remained in bed in the hope of gaining by repose the strength that would justify me in taking your medicines. So far I have touched none of it."
有位老人发现自己生病了，便派人去请来一名内科医生，内科医生为他开了个处方，就走了。
接着，这位老人又派人去请来另一名内科医生，他没有提及第一位医生，这次得到了完全不同的诊治。
两个医生在不同的日子里轮流上门行医，按两种不同的病症医治，不断加大药量，英语小故事护理也越来越严格，这样一直连续了好几个星期。可是，有一天，老人睡着时，两个医生意外地在他的病榻前相遇了，真相暴露了，引发了一场激励的争吵。
“亲爱的朋友，”病人被他们的吵闹声惊醒，了解了事情的缘由后，“请你们理智一些。如果我都能容忍你们几个星期，你们就不能彼此容忍一会儿吗？我的病已经好了十几天了，我仍躺在床上，是希望经过卧床休息，能够恢复体力，以此来证明我吃对了你们的药，不过，我至今没有碰过那些药呢！”