the.com/second opinion
Asking another expert before letting the first one guess twice with a scalpel.
means Consulting another professional's judgment on a diagnosis or decision before acting on it, usually because the stakes are too high to trust a single verdict.
from A straightforward compound of 'second' (another, additional) and 'opinion' (a judgment formed, from Latin opinio, 'belief'). The phrase rose alongside modern medicine, as patients gained both the means and the cultural permission to question a single doctor's word — doctors themselves eventually endorsed the practice as sound medical ethics rather than an insult to the first one's competence.
- origin field
- standard practice in medicine before major surgery
- insurance habit
- many insurers require one for costly procedures
- psychology angle
- reduces anchoring bias from the first diagnosis
- ironic twist
- often just confirms the first doctor was right