Esther Doyle was a patient of Gregory House who died less than 24 hours after admission in or about 1994. Dr. House was never able to confirm a diagnosis for Esther, although he believed she was suffering from Erdheim-Chester disease. He eventually solved the puzzle when a six-year old boy, Ian Alston, was diagnosed with the condition in 2006 in the episode All In.
Esther was admitted with bloody diarrhea, and was treated with fluids. Within hours, she was suffering from acute kidney failure, and at this point House was called in on the case. Despite his best efforts, she was soon suffering from liver failure as well, which was quickly followed by respiratory distress. She died before House could do anything else. Her family refused an autopsy.
For the next several years, House would often treat people with bloody diarrhea, giving them s, expensive tests, and risky treatments only to find out they were really suffering from a minor and temporary digestive tract disorder. As such, his fellows soon were on the lookout to ensure House wasn't trying it again. Chase had been told of two similar cases that House had treated aggressively, one of which turned out to be food poisoning, which merely needed supportive treatment.
Notably, her name is spelled 'Ester' on her file, whereas House spells it s 'Esther'. This could be an allusion to the chemical term 'ester' which can be made by mixing some acids with alcohol.