It would have been just as needed and appropriate

English translation: see my explanation

14:27 Feb 8, 2017
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / meaning of 'it' as used here
English term or phrase: It would have been just as needed and appropriate
Hi,
I'd like to know your opinion about the meaning of "it" in the following sentence (the whole passage is below..)

***
When I was done I asked if we could at least take him—the patient (but perhaps it would have been just as needed and appropriate for the attending)
***

I think the meaning is “the pronoun ‘it’ would have been just as needed and appropriate” (instead of "him"), in the sense that the attending probably considered the patient only as a “body” and not as a “person”.... Or is my interpretation too strong?
Thanks in advance for any hint!

*******************************
At the end of that second semester of my second year, I had my “final exam” for the ICM course. An elderly, white-haired gentleman was my patient: “Good morning, Doc,” he said as he plodded into the room and gingerly sat down in the chair. When I asked how he was doing this fine spring day, he said that he had tried to kill himself earlier that morning. So I explored with him what had brought him to such a place of crisis that he tried to end his life. Soon a poke on my shoulder from the attending drew my attention to his head looming by my ear—“Just do the physical exam!” he demanded in an irritated whisper, akin to a whimper. So I did do the physical exam, and on the examining table I witnessed, for the first time, someone having a grand mal seizure. The attending seemed unfazed, simply keeping the man from falling to the floor until the seizure subsided, and then he said to me, “Just finish the exam.” When I was done I asked if we could at least take him—the patient (but perhaps ** it would have been just as needed and appropriate for the attending **)—to the psychiatry clinic, and the attending agreed.
“These drunks just do that—have seizures, try to kill themselves. You spent too much time talking to him about his life, about his feelings. But you did a fine job on the physical, so you passed your exam.”
haribert
Local time: 17:30
Selected answer:see my explanation
Explanation:
"I thought the attending [which, for non-US readers, is short for attending physician] was acting so strangely that we should have taken him to the psychiatric clinic along with the patient."

I agree that it's awkwardly worded - we would normally say "just as necessary" rather than "just as needed".

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Note added at 7 mins (2017-02-08 14:34:41 GMT)
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He's acting strangely because he's ignoring the seizure.

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Note added at 1 hr (2017-02-08 15:57:04 GMT)
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I see what you mean now. You're saying that "it" should be in quotation marks. I think my interpretation is more likely, because the writer clarifies that "him" means the patient, not the doctor. If your version were correct, they wouldn't need to say "the patient".
Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States
Grading comment
Thank you so much, Phil, for your kindness and for your help!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6see my explanation
philgoddard


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
it would have been just as needed and appropriate
see my explanation


Explanation:
"I thought the attending [which, for non-US readers, is short for attending physician] was acting so strangely that we should have taken him to the psychiatric clinic along with the patient."

I agree that it's awkwardly worded - we would normally say "just as necessary" rather than "just as needed".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2017-02-08 14:34:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

He's acting strangely because he's ignoring the seizure.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2017-02-08 15:57:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I see what you mean now. You're saying that "it" should be in quotation marks. I think my interpretation is more likely, because the writer clarifies that "him" means the patient, not the doctor. If your version were correct, they wouldn't need to say "the patient".

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
Thank you so much, Phil, for your kindness and for your help!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, Phil, for your answer. I hadn't thought of this possibility... Do you think that, from a linguistic point of view, also my interpretation might be right? I say so, because in other parts of the book, the author points out how doctors view patients only as bodies without a mind....


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): I think that both interpretations are possible linguistically but I am leaning toward this one.
1 hr

agree  Terry Richards: Absolutely this interpretation. Anything else would be overreaching.
1 hr

agree  Tony M: Yes, this was my instinctive reading — the 'it' refers to 'taking to the psychiatry clinic'. Agree with Terry's comment too.
3 hrs

agree  Yasutomo Kanazawa
16 hrs

agree  Ashutosh Mitra
1 day 13 hrs

agree  acetran
1 day 15 hrs
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