Patch Adams!!!

[TommyGunn04]

I listened to Patch Adams speak here at Brown yesterday afternoon. He's totally amazing! Here's a link to our school newspaper's coverage, just to give you an idea about what he said:

<a href="http://www.browndailyherald.com/stories.cfm?S=0&ID=6938" target="_blank">http://www.browndailyherald.com/stories.cfm?S=0&ID=6938</a>

It'd be so totally awesome to practice the way he does, bringing the service aspect back into medicine, and focusing on relationships, fun, etc.! He totally inspired me to become an activist for change, especially regarding our current medical system. Who's with me?

Check it out: <a href="http://www.patchadams.org" target="_blank">www.patchadams.org</a>

(I figured this was relevant to post here since us pre-med people need to critically think about the system we'll be working in as future physicians)

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[THE instiGATOR]

Stupid professors made me miss his lecture at UF! Evil chemists!!!

 

[USeF]

thanx for the post, and yes I agree it is very relevant here (back off Jamier!) :wink:

the ending of that article is depressing. The movie grossed hundreds of millions and his hospital saw NONE of it? NONE?! That seems contradictory to the purpose of making the movie.

he truly does seem like an inspiration, and I do hope to surround myself with physicians like him and those who began 'doctors sans borders' and the like.

 

[TommyGunn04]

Isn't it atrocious?! I can't believe that they couldn't donate even half of 1% of the movie's earnings! If it made $200 million that would mean $1 million could go to the hospital, which goes a LONG way at a free clinic, and is peanuts compared to $200 mil! It's pretty disgusting...

 

[ramkijai]

i recently found out that a loved one has cancer. if patch adams had shown up with his clown act i would have beat him to within an inch of his life and stuffed his whoopie cushion up his ass. the late critic gene siskel made the same point when the movie came out (he was suffering from brain cancer at the time). while i think his aims are admirable his approach does not work in the reality of illness as i and many others experienced it. i wonder if he has talked about this criticism and what his response is?

 

[trouta]

Maybe outright craziness is innapropriate at times, but at other times it is often the only action that can bring some sort of reaction from a patient.

The point also is that we shouldnt take medicine as a science so seriously and should be very aware that the personal aspects of the patient doctor interaction are an important part of any treatment regime. Neglected people and patients in particular rarely do well.

 

[Legend]

Tommy, I thought he said the movie earned $300 million !!

 

[TommyGunn04]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by ramkijai:
•i recently found out that a loved one has cancer. if patch adams had shown up with his clown act i would have beat him to within an inch of his life and stuffed his whoopie cushion up his ass. the late critic gene siskel made the same point when the movie came out (he was suffering from brain cancer at the time). while i think his aims are admirable his approach does not work in the reality of illness as i and many others experienced it. i wonder if he has talked about this criticism and what his response is?•••••You should ask him! He guarantees that he will write back to anyone who writes him! So if you write him a letter, he should write you back within about 3 weeks (this is what he said at the lecture). I'll bet he has a great answer for you...

 

[TommyGunn04]

One of the really interesting things Patch said was about the healing environment hospitals have created. He said, it doesn't make sense that we try to heal people in that place where no one really wants to be. So at his clinic, supposedly there's so much fun, personal interaction, doing art, etc., that people actually WANT to be there, and healing therefore works better! And as a result of the atmosphere being so desirable, people from all over the world come to work there, and patients often work there after they become better. The patients sometimes become the doctors, and the doctors sometimes become the patients. It's a very provokative concept...