New Scientist - 14.09.2019

32 | New Scientist | 14 September 2019

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WHEN I heard the premises of

two new medical shows that use

crowdsourcing to help people

with undiagnosed conditions,

I was extremely sceptical. The

medics have failed you, so why

not ask some random people

what they think the problem is?

As it turned out, I was both

right and wrong. The first show,

Chasing the Cure, uses a live talk

show format to highlight several

people seeking a diagnosis. Host

Ann Curry asks about their

symptoms, while messages and

texts arrive, offering support or

suggesting diseases.

A panel of doctors sifts through

the contributions, debunking the

(mostly) irrelevant. This portion

seemed geared towards increasing

viewer and online engagement,

rather than finding a diagnosis.

But the professional hunt for a

diagnosis is also performative,

with doctors listing potential

causes and crossing out ideas.

Tests are done off-screen, but they

are rarely referred to. At the end,

the doctors join Curry and the

participants to deliver their verdict.

The tone is odd, with a slick

studio, game show music and

manipulative interviews that

mine the emotions of people in

real pain. It makes a spectacle of

the tough work doctors do when

they diagnose rare diseases.

I hated every minute.

So I’m not sure why I decided

to give Netflix’s Diagnosis a try,

but I’m glad I did. It is based on

a column for The New York

Times Magazine by a doctor, Lisa

Sanders, about medical mysteries.

In it, she opened up cases to

anyone with information to share

that could help reach a diagnosis.

Each episode is centred on

one person. Sanders talks them

through her process and shares

video messages she receives. Most

come from informed sources:

medical students who recognise

the symptoms, vets who have seen

such problems in animals and

What’s wrong with me? Netflix’s Diagnosis is the best of two new series that

create a real-life House – with added crowdsourcing. It’s a moving show that sets

out to help people find their longed-for diagnoses, says Chelsea Whyte

“ Watching the relief

wash over Angel

Parker’s face was very

moving, a powerful

reminder about hope”

TV

Chasing the Cure

TNT and TBS

Diagnosis

Netflix

Chelsea also

recommends...

TV

House

Amazon Prime

In this drama, surly

doctor Gregory House

solves medical mysteries.

Inspired by doctor

Lisa Sanders, who was a

consultant for the series.

Podcast

Sawbones

Maximum Fun

A comedic take on

historical medical practices

by Dr Sydnee McElroy and

her husband Justin McElroy.

people who have similar diseases.

The first episode is about Angel

Parker. She’s a 23-year-old from

Nevada with searing pain in her

muscles when she exerts herself,

who has spent nine years seeking

a diagnosis. We see her cry in pain,

watch the worry on her parents’

faces talking about her illness and

hear her concern about how to pay

the hospital. The documentary

style of the show creates real

empathy for the difficulties

of people with chronic pain.

The answer to Parker’s troubles

comes from an Italian paediatric

hospital specialising in genetic

testing. The doctors there had

seen similar symptoms and they

offer to sequence her genome,

diagnosing CPT deficiency, a

condition that prevents the body

using certain fats for energy.

Watching the relief wash

over Parker’s face as she heard

her diagnosis was very moving

and a powerful reminder about

hope. This young woman’s life

was changed just by knowing what

was wrong and how to fix it. Her

doctors also clearly cared about

finding a diagnosis.

At the beginning of the first

episode, Sanders says: “One of the

tools doctors use is other doctors

in the room. We’re making the

room that much bigger.” But don’t

discount the public – Parker met

other people with rare diseases

who told her they could live well

with a similar genetic condition.

Parker was let down by the

US healthcare system for nearly

a decade. This show and those

who responded gave her what

she needed. “For the longest

time, no one even cared. And

now, I have the biggest support

system,” she said.  ❚

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Lisa Sanders attempts to

solve medical mysteries

in Diagnosis

The TV column

Chelsea Whyte is a reporter

for New Scientist based in

Boston, Massachusetts.

Follow her on Twitter

@ chelswhyte