Physician-writer Rahul Parikh’s take on the economy is an entertaining one.

What if the economy was the patient, and how is it reacting to interventions meant to improve its prognosis?

“Shortly after the New Year, the doctors had a long discussion,” Dr. Parikh writes. “Some argued that that a Prescription for a broad-spectrum stimulus was called for. Others felt that a more careful approach, targeting Rx’s to certain parts of the Economy, was a more thoughtful approach. Still others, frustrated by the time and money needed to keep the patient alive, thought it was time to withdraw care and allow the patient to recover on its own.”

Whether the patient will fully recover remains to be seen.