In addition to attempting to show that there was no negligence, or no damage caused by the alleged negligence, the defense may argue that something or someone else is responsible for or actually caused the injuries. A defense frequently used is to blame the patient for the problems. This can take many forms including arguing that the patient had unusual anatomy which mislead the physician, was too fat, or too thin, was a smoker, bi-polar, an alcoholic, a drug abuser, did not take his medicine, failed to tell the doctor something he should have or failed to come back as instructed. In short, the defense may try to use “throw in the kitchen sink defenses in an effort to overcome the plaintiff’s claims. These defenses are an attempt to put the patient on trial instead of the doctor, or at least to try to get the jury to divide responsibility between the patient and the healthcare provider. Sometimes it works. In these instances, the jury may be looking for reason to give the physician a pass. Sometimes, however, it backfires and the jury may award greater damages because it undermines the physician’s credibility.