That could be interesting. Wouldn't even have to be back-to-back episodes. How would House deal with diagnosing a patient and sending him home only to have him reappear with another mysterious illness a month later? I want CLINIC PATIENTS. It's going to be harder for House to dodge clinic duty so let's see it. (On the other hand, I'd love it if Cuddy stopped doling out clinic hours it's junior high school detention and she's the principal.)

Stacy's husband Mark was introduced in one episode -- though only through Stacy -- and then was treated in a second episode. (He would have appeared in the opening scene of "Three Stories," but as David Shore noted, he was talked out of that scene because it simply didn't work.) Ali showed up in multiple episodes, but of course she was more stalker than patient. Amber was a patient in two episodes, though we didn't realize she was one for most of "House's Head."

There are many people with rare, hard-to-diagnose diseases that are chronic. It would be interesting to have the team have to work through one of those cases over more than one episode, like you've said.

The paralyzed patient Richard in "Meaning" came back to the hospital in the next episode to be treated by Cuddy. That was when Cameron found out that he had been partially cured. I agree that it would be fascinating to have more of this kind of multiple-episode patient this coming season.

I want House to add one of these to the collection of aesthetically wonderful things in his apartment.

Wow, reading this is just sad. So many great ideas, so many wasted opportunities. And a few on-target guesses.