Probably wouldn't if you didn't give him a reason (at least not in a place where his main goal wasn't milking the insurance).
If i went to a doctor and told him I was worried I had "cancer", he'd ask if I had any symptoms or problems and when I said no he'd probably not require a load of tests to prove I was completely healthy. He'd just tell me that in the absence of any evidence there was no reason to think I had cancer of the anything.
Good example of absence of evidence. That is exactly what a doctor would do.
Have you been to a doctor lately? Yes, the doctor would discuss symptoms with you. This is the first level of investigation. The doctor would also discuss risk factors like family history and lifestyle, check your weight, temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiration and probably order some routine blood work. This is known as a routine physical.
Went back in July as it happens.
He asked me why I was there and after I'd provided him with evidence he ran some checks on that and gave me a prescription.
If I'd gone in and presented no symptoms he'd not have done that.
Your example was cancer. cancer. If you go in to a doctors and say you think you;ve got cancer he'll want you to provide some evidence of where or why you think that. He wont just run a raft of tests on you to explore all possible places you could have cancer because you're a hypochondriac.
This is entirely different from a routine medical where you are in specifically to have things checked up based on your medical insurance, that's got no bearing on the discussion. Although it is worth noting that a lot of what they do in these physicals is based on previous evidence provided that you are likely to be at rick of certain things, that's why they check them.
Actually, it was Tom's assertion that a doctor assumes that you are completely healthy when you walk in the door.
It is my assertion that a doctor assumes nothing about your health until he runs a minimum amount of tests.
Having a conclusion about the outcome BEFORE testing is a very backwards way of doing things.
I walk into the doctor's office for a ROUTINE check up.
If the doctor assumes that I am perfectly healthy
1)Asks me if I am feeling alright
2)I reply feel fine
3)Dr says OK you are perfectly healthy because you haven't given me reason to run any sort of tests.
4)Sends me a bill in the mail
If the doctor assumes nothing
1)Nurses take down my height, weight, blood pressure
2)Doctor looks this over when he gets in, notices any changes from last year
3)Sends me to the lab for ROUTINE blood work to check cholesterol and such (not exactly sure what since I am not a doctor)
4)Analyzes the results.
5)IF anything here is out of ordinary sends me for more specialized testing.
6)Sends me a bill in the mail.
No I know for a fact that my grandmother was feeling perfectly fine when she was diagnosed with cancer. It was her routine check up that discovered it. If the doctor had assumed she was healthy, they wouldn't run any tests until she starts feeling ill.