PANACEA 2020

at the
Medicine
Movies
Dr Peter McLaren
Most of us, I guess, are a bit cynical about movies on medical topics; the patient in a coma who
still looks immaculate, the implausible plot lines, too many machines in the room for a
conscious patient, not enough machines in the room for an unconscious patient, the faintly
ridiculous dialogue; you get the picture?
But there are some movies, documentaries and docudramas that get the medical concepts
and moral issues across better than any textbook.
On that basis, I decided to look at movies that I feel should be essential viewing for anyone in
medical school. I have reduced them to the top 10 but have found it difficult to place them in
any particular order, so I present them from old to most recent. I have taken into account
their medical authenticity, the relevance of the topics they tackle, the quality of the
writing, directing and acting, and awards given. I have also striven for variety. I apologize if
some are old but greatness doesn’t come along that often!
The Doctor (1991)
The story of an arrogant surgeon who becomes a patient and gets a taste of his own medicine? It could
have been that simple but thanks to good writing, a strong caste and the talents of William Hurt, it
transcends this scenario and shows an insightful view into the hospital environment.
The plot and dialogue are credible and the acting and directing, subtle. Hurt plays Jack McKee, a
successful surgeon who develops throat cancer. The experience that follows causes him to review his
approach to life, his family and the practice of medicine. Janet Maslin from the NY Times made a
perceptive assessment, writing: "...a charming, cocksure doctor who specializes not only in difficult
surgical procedures but also in careful, deceptively breezy intimidation." Sometimes it takes an
outsider to identify a behaviour we often brush off as simply male bravado.
The director was Randa Haines who had previously teamed up with
Hurt on ‘Children of a Lesser God’, another fine movie. The script
was written by Robert Caswell and based on a book by Ed Rosenbaum,
'A Taste of My Own Medicine'. It was only a modest box office
success with few awards. Still, IMDB gave it 6.9/10 and Rotten
Tomatoes 85%.
So why include it as a must-see for medical students? Well,
firstly for the presence of William Hurt, another of the
outstanding actors of our time. It will also introduce students to
the music of Jimmy Buffett. As an anaesthetist, I can't deny there
might have been a little schadenfreude involved, though, in
reality, it could have focussed on any specialty. But the main
reason is that watching this film could replace all of the medical
school activities exploring empathy in medical practice (of
course, with the compulsory group discussion afterwards, as I
wouldn't want to put anyone out of work!).
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