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MENTAL MODEL · M0212

Hickam's Dictum

Hickam's Dictum
TechnicalHigh supportMedicine
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Contrary to Occam's razor: when faced with multiple symptoms, do not force a single cause to explain all; multiple diseases can coexist and must be investigated one by one.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Hickam's dictum is a medical principle that a patient's symptoms could be caused by several diseases. It is a counterargument to misapplying Occam's razor in the medical profession. A common version of Hickam's dictum states: "A man can have as many diseases as he damn well pleases." The principle i…

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Hickam's dictum asserts: "A patient can have multiple diseases at the same time." It is the opposite of Occam's razor—when facing multiple symptoms, it is better to accept the coexistence of multiple independent causes than to force a single explanation.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hickam%27s_dictumZH · Explicit
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