In Schechet v. Kesten, 372 Mich. 346; 126 N.W.2d 718 (1964), the plaintiff, a physician, sued the defendant, a hospital administrator, for defamation, alleging that the defendant attacked his professional competence. Id., 349. The plaintiff served interrogatories on the defendant that requested the defendant to identify the "cases" (presumably the names of patients and information about their treatments) that induced the defendant to make the censorious statements. Id., 350. The Michigan Supreme Court held that the physician-patient privilege barred disclosure: The statute imposes an absolute bar. It protects, "within the veil of privilege," whatever in order to enable the physician to prescribe, "was disclosed to any of his senses, and which in any way was brought to his knowledge for that purpose." ( Briggs v. Briggs, 20 Mich. 34, 41 1870.) Such veil of privilege is the patient's right. It prohibits the physician from disclosing, in the course of any action wherein his patient or patients are not involved and do not consent, even the names of such noninvolved patients. 372 Mich. at 351