The crime of Procrustes appears as common in clinical medicine as in general society. We may fit the facts to our opinions instead of our opinions to the facts. Procrustes “the stretcher” refers to a character from Greek mythology. He was a robber who lived near Eleusis in Attica. Feigning hospitality to travelers, he would offer them a bed that would fit them perfectly. What Procrustes would not tell them was if they were too long he would cut off their limbs to fit the bed. If they were too short, he would stretch them until they fit. The term “Procrustean bed” can be paraphrased as an arbitrary standard to which conformity is forced.
Cite this post as:
Scott Weingart, MD FCCM. Procrustes. EMCrit Blog. Published on October 10, 2010. Accessed on March 17th 2026. Available at [https://cmefix.emcrit.org/tidbit/the-crime-of-procrustes-appears-as-common-in/ ].
Financial Disclosures:
The course director, Dr. Scott D. Weingart MD FCCM, reports no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. This episode’s speaker(s) report no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies unless listed above.
CME Review
Original Release: October 10, 2010
Date of Most Recent Review: Jul 1, 2024
Termination Date: Jul 1, 2027
You finished the 'cast,
Now Join EMCrit!
As a member, you can...
- Get CME hours
- Get the On Deeper Reflection Podcast
- Support the show
- Write it off on your taxes or get reimbursed by your department
.
Get the EMCrit Newsletter
If you enjoyed this post, you will almost certainly enjoy our others. Subscribe to our email list to keep informed on all of the Resuscitation and Critical Care goodness.
This Post was by the EMCrit Crew, published 15 years ago. We never spam; we hate spammers! Spammers probably work for the Joint Commission.
Leave a Reply