Jay called his doctor at 2 a.m. in a panic. His wife had severe abdominal pain, and he was sure it was her appendix. The doctor, half-asleep, snapped back that he’d removed her appendix two years earlier and told Jay to go back to bed. Five minutes later, Jay called again. Still convinced. The doctor groaned, asking if Jay had ever heard of someone having a second appendix. Jay replied calmly, “No—but I’m sure you’ve heard of someone having a second wife.”

That wasn’t the only medical misunderstanding. A doctor once prescribed ear drops for a baby, instructing “two drops in the right ear.” The label read “two drops in R ear,” and days later, the baby returned—ear still hurting, backside oddly greasy.

Then there was the famous arthritis specialist whose “miracle cure” was simply giving a patient a longer walking stick.

Doctors may save lives, but sometimes, the real medicine is timing—and a sense of humor.