Marianna Lorusso
The Doctor, 1991, Director Randa Haines
I had the pleasure of watching this movie last night with my family. It raised many ethical issues that are relevant to my Bioethics class, this semester. The movie starts out by depicting a successful heart surgeon listening to music as he is operating on a person's heart. The undesirable behavior continues towards the nurse as he is asking her to sing while she is clearly not comfortable doing so. At this point, I get the idea that this heart surgeon is egoistic and self-centered. He makes a comment to the residents as he is doing rounds that feelings have nothing to do with the science of medicine. The residents do not seem to find this odd as they are being trained to believe this for themselves.
When he returns home, the movie demonstrates a father that is not much available to his family. Perhaps he feels "larger" to father a young boy and form a strong relationship. As time progresses, he realizes that his is developing a cough that is not subsiding. Finally, he makes an appointment to visit a doctor that will represent the same undesirable behaviors as him. This doctor is rude, disrespectful and demonstrates poor bedside manners. It is as this time that he is now the person needing care. He starts to see and realize the bureaucracy of the hospital and the effects on him. He now has to wait to be seen, signs multiple forms and is told when the surgery will take place to remove a malignant tumor in his throat.
During this time, he meets another care-receiver, that is dying and I believe that this woman is there to teach this heart surgeon some valuable lessons about compassion for the ones that are sick. He undergoes a transcendental transformation into another Being. He is now connected to humans on a deeper level than before. He feels their worry and fear. My favorite part of this movie was how he took the same group of residents on rounds but this time, they were the ones receiving care. Teaching medical students just this important lesson, that the ones that enter the hospital are not just sick, but they are people. People that have feelings and emotions. Those attributes need to be put on a pedestal, for medicine to be a well-rounded success.
When he returns home, the movie demonstrates a father that is not much available to his family. Perhaps he feels "larger" to father a young boy and form a strong relationship. As time progresses, he realizes that his is developing a cough that is not subsiding. Finally, he makes an appointment to visit a doctor that will represent the same undesirable behaviors as him. This doctor is rude, disrespectful and demonstrates poor bedside manners. It is as this time that he is now the person needing care. He starts to see and realize the bureaucracy of the hospital and the effects on him. He now has to wait to be seen, signs multiple forms and is told when the surgery will take place to remove a malignant tumor in his throat.
During this time, he meets another care-receiver, that is dying and I believe that this woman is there to teach this heart surgeon some valuable lessons about compassion for the ones that are sick. He undergoes a transcendental transformation into another Being. He is now connected to humans on a deeper level than before. He feels their worry and fear. My favorite part of this movie was how he took the same group of residents on rounds but this time, they were the ones receiving care. Teaching medical students just this important lesson, that the ones that enter the hospital are not just sick, but they are people. People that have feelings and emotions. Those attributes need to be put on a pedestal, for medicine to be a well-rounded success.