Leaving aside the probability of catching an infectious disease like SARS while going to the doctor, there is a distribution over the marginal benefit that patients gain from an outpatient visit. Some of the most sickly patients benefit a lot, while those with mild conditions probably receive only minor help from seeing a doc-tor. Which sorts of patients were more likely to stay at home in the face of the SARS epidemic? What is the effect on the excess burden of SARS? Should this effect be included in the excess burden calculation? What is the effect on the excess burden of SARS