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#1: The role of doctors Author: Laura V, Location: Czech Republic

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:36 pm
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is EBD's view of doctors as being *superhuman* and to be admired a realistic portrayal of what society actually thought of them?

and why is it that none of the doctors mentioned are ever ill themselves?

#2: Re: The role of doctors Author: Tiffany, Location: Is this a duck I see behind me?

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:45 pm
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Laura V wrote:

and why is it that none of the doctors mentioned are ever ill themselves?

The understanding seems to be that doctors are immune to contagiuous diseases: otherwise you could never see a doctor who'd seen someone with, eg, diphtheria, in case they carried it...

#3: Re: The role of doctors Author: JayB, Location: SE England

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:10 pm
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Laura V wrote:

is EBD's view of doctors as being *superhuman* and to be admired a realistic portrayal of what society actually thought of them?

I think EBD's portrayal is somewhat idealised, but I do think doctors were looked up to and one didn't question what the doctor said.

Jay B.

#4: Author: Karry, Location: Stoke on Trent

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:21 pm
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Where I lived as a child the doctor was almost on a par with the Squire and the Rector, In many village he would have been one of the most qualified and educated people, even going back only 40 years.

#5: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:29 pm
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If you look in Agatha Christie's books set in 20's onwards, the Doctor is always a man to respect. (And mostly was a man! Rolling Eyes

)

#6: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:27 am
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I think doctors were very highly respected in CS times, even more so than they are now. In a lot of books people seem to aspire to become doctors/marry doctors in a way that isn't true of any other profession.

Also - as I think someone said in an earlier discussion - EBD kind of needed a plentiful source of suitable male partners for CS girls/mistresses Laughing

, and for a series set in the Alps a Sanatorium probably seemed like a suitable "source", as opposed to e.g. an army barracks or any other sort of place where there might have been lots of nice men around!

By contrast, most of the (few) male teachers seem to be weirdos!

#7: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:35 am
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I agree that the doctor would have been among the most prominent citizens in many places. For example, he was the only one with a car in my grandmother's home town. Even today, an amazing number of parents checking out universities seem hungry to refer to "my son (or daughter) the doctor" whether or not the offspring is interested.

Does anyone recall a literary conversation in which a snobbish hostess deems doctors acceptable dinner guests, but remarks that she'd never welcome a dentist socially? I'm still trying to remember the source....

#8: Author: Cryst,

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:34 am
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Kathy_S wrote:

Does anyone recall a literary conversation in which a snobbish hostess deems doctors acceptable dinner guests, but remarks that she'd never welcome a dentist socially? I'm still trying to remember the source....

No, but this thread is reminding me of a Fawlty Towers episode ...

.... snips from this site ...

Dr and Dr Abbott enter from the front door to check in and Mrs Abbott observes Basil doing another monkey impression. Sybil then looks at the registration form they have just filled in and announces that they are in fact Doctors, a fact which the Abbotts hadn’t made known to the Fawltys when they phoned earlier to book. Instantly, Basil’s manner changes, just as it does throughout the entire Fawlty Towers series, when he realises that he has some quality guests to fawn over. He is soon making a fool if himself though as he tries to grasp the fact that the Abbotts are two doctors.

It goes something like this:

Classic Scene…
Basil: How do you do doctor. Very nice to have you with us, doctor.
Dr (Mr) Abbott: Thank You.
Basil: And Mrs Abbott, how do you do.
Dr (Mr) Abbott: Dr Abbott, actually.
Basil: …I’m sorry?
Dr (Mr) Abbott: Doctor Abbott.
Dr (Mrs) Abbott: Two doctors.
Basil: (to Mr Abbott) You’re two doctors?
Dr (Mrs) Abbott: Yes.
Basil: Well, how did you become two doctors? That’s most unusual…I mean, did you take the exams twice, or…?
Dr (Mr) Abbott: No, my wife’s a doctor…
Dr (Mrs) Abbott: …I’m a doctor.
Basil: You’re a doctor too! So you’re three doctors.
Dr (Mr) Abbott: No, I’m a doctor. My wife’s another doctor.

#9: Author: Katarzyna, Location: North West England

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:00 am
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Lesley wrote:

If you look in Agatha Christie's books set in 20's onwards, the Doctor is always a man to respect. (And mostly was a man! Rolling Eyes

)

Though also quite frequently in the Miss Marple books the Doctor is also the murderer!!

#10: Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:32 am
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Kathy_S wrote:

Noel Streatfeild, in her autobiography, 'The Vicarage Family'. She quotes her grandmother who says that while doctoes are socially acceptable nowadays, dentists are 'trade' and should always go to the back door. She then comments that her grandmother had no idea what an appalling snobbish remark that was. To the grandmother, it was just a statement of the case.

#11: Author: jenah, Location: Canada

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:24 am
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Lesley wrote:

If you look in Agatha Christie's books set in 20's onwards, the Doctor is always a man to respect. (And mostly was a man! Rolling Eyes

)

Well, given that she was writing in the 20, 30s and 40s, - that's about right, as women doctors were quite rare at than point (although not unknown). Even up until the 1970s (when she published her last book), I think the number of woman doctors remained low. If her books were teeming with them, it would be a bit strange!

Now, I think, women are outnumbering men in medical schools, so any Agatha Christies onf the 21st century would have to take that into account.

#12: Author: Tamzin, Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:27 am
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Lesley wrote:

If you look in Agatha Christie's books set in 20's onwards, the Doctor is always a man to respect. (And mostly was a man! Rolling Eyes

)

I can think of at least one where the village doctor deceitfully pulls the wool over eyeryone's eyes (I won't say which just in case I'm spoiling it for someone although I think that unlikely).

#13: Author: JayB, Location: SE England

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:39 am
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Tamzin wrote:

I can think of at least one where the village doctor deceitfully pulls the wool over eyeryone's eyes (I won't say which just in case I'm spoiling it for someone although I think that unlikely).

I remember when Dame Agatha died one of her obituarists in a national newspaper (the Telegraph, I think) gave away that plot and was roundly denounced by readers as a result.

He said he did it because he wanted his obituary to reflect just how skilful she was as a writer of detective fiction.

Jay B.

#14: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:42 am
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Tamzin wrote:

Lesley wrote:

If you look in Agatha Christie's books set in 20's onwards, the Doctor is always a man to respect. (And mostly was a man! Rolling Eyes

)

I can think of at least one where the village doctor deceitfully pulls the wool over eyeryone's eyes (I won't say which just in case I'm spoiling it for someone although I think that unlikely).

I've thought of two. Smile

#15: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:23 pm
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Kate wrote:

Tamzin wrote:

I can think of at least one where the village doctor deceitfully pulls the wool over eyeryone's eyes (I won't say which just in case I'm spoiling it for someone although I think that unlikely).

I've thought of two. Smile

Me too - one Miss Marple, and one Poirot Very Happy

#16: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:24 pm
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LizB wrote:

Kate wrote:

Tamzin wrote:

I can think of at least one where the village doctor deceitfully pulls the wool over eyeryone's eyes (I won't say which just in case I'm spoiling it for someone although I think that unlikely).

I've thought of two. Smile

Me too - one Miss Marple, and one Poirot Very Happy

Yip.

There is possibly another, but I'm not certain of the exact profession, I'll have to double-check.

#17: Author: Hannah-Lou, Location: Glasgow

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:30 pm
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Me too, one Marple and one Poirot. I wonder if we're all thinking of the same ones? Laughing

#18: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:14 pm
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And me Laughing

#19: Author: Imogen,

Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:13 am
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this is probably a bit off topic and not really very literary but in the Daily Star there was an article about a poll about the profession of the ideal man or something like that and doctors were at the top.

#20: Author: Katya, Location: Mostly Bradford

Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 12:25 pm
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jenah wrote:

Lesley wrote:

If you look in Agatha Christie's books set in 20's onwards, the Doctor is always a man to respect. (And mostly was a man! Rolling Eyes

)

My parents went to university in 1965 to do medicine and in a year of over one hundred (IIRC) there were twenty women. I seem to remember them saying that their university was considered progressive in that respect! In at least one of her interviews, my mum was asked why she wanted to be a doctor not a nurse. Rolling Eyes

#21: Re: The role of doctors Author: Róisín, Location: Gaillimh

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 12:12 pm
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Laura V wrote:

...and why is it that none of the doctors mentioned are ever ill themselves?

I can't think of any instance where Jem is ill, but Jack came back injured in Highland Twins, although possibly this doesn't count as 'poorly' in the sense that one of EBD's women might be ill. Those doctors who ended up in the concentration camps must also have been ill, but then again that's inflicted rather than just 'taken' if you know what I mean.

#22: Author: JayB, Location: SE England

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:11 pm
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Jack had been ill when he came home on leave at the end of Exile. A sharp attack of pleurisy, IIRC.

Jay B.

#23: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:40 pm
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It's also true that the major discourses of power have always been religion and medicine, with priests interpreting the immutable laws of God and doctors doing likewise for the immutable laws of nature. Both somewhat discredited these days, but it's still very difficult to argue with your doctor because most of the time you just don't have enough knowledge, whatever your instincts are screaming - and you have to put your life, sometimes quite literally, in their hands.

#24: Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:12 am
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Even when some doctors talk a load of twaddle - I went to my postnatal check up after my youngest and was told it was a physical impossibility that he was born vaginally - well I was there, and he was

I was talking to a doctor the other day who said when she did her first degree she hated med students, then she went to med school and found out why - she said the very first lecture was all about how wonderful they were, the creme de la creme and how important they were. With that drummed into them from day one it's not surprising many have a god complex. Strangely enough they get surprised then when thy ask for a patients notes and get told 'over there, in the trolley - you want them, you get them', I wonder why midwives have the reputation they do?

#25: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:16 am
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claire wrote:

Even when some doctors talk a load of twaddle - I went to my postnatal check up after my youngest and was told it was a physical impossibility that he was born vaginally - well I was there, and he was.

How long did it take you to convince idiot doctor of that fact? Laughing

#26: Author: Róisín, Location: Gaillimh

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 11:26 am
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Claire you are so right. I live with two nurses and they are always bringing home tales from work that sound very similar to yours. Their favourite pet hate at the moment is the female doctors in the local hospital dressing up like lawyers or something, in tight suits and very very high heels, to work! There is no way that they would be able to run down the corridor in those in case of emergency. But apparently it's just their way of distinguishing themselves or something Rolling Eyes

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