How can someone be a misanthrope and also be a medic? - House M.D. (2004) Discussion

[–] andy5868 9 years ago

Yeah I think every doctor I came across in real life seemed caring and compassionate. That's what made House different. If every doctor was like Cameron or Wilson, it wouldn't be nearly as fun to watch.

One funny scene was in the pilot when a man came into the clinic complaining of back pain. House started laughing and the guy said "it must not be very serious if you're laughing" and House said "you're orange, you moron!".

That was a hilarious scenario that would not have happened if he wasn't a jerk and there were many more of those.

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[–] bookwormdreamer 9 years ago

Well they are not all like House but not all are like Cameron( who could be pretty judgemental) or Wilson.

Most are more like Foreman,Chase, Taub and Park.Many become jaded or lose their idealism. They're not as abrasive as House could be but they're not that many like Wilson either.

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[–] cpoet 9 years ago

That's contradictory.

Oh, no, not at all. MANY doctors prefer to concentrate in areas of medicine where one of the benefits is "little to no interaction with patients."

I know several doctors who love the ER because it's quick and dirty and challenging and they're not expected to do any friendly hand holding because the bleeding has to be stopped NOW. Once the immediate trauma is under control, the patient is transferred to some other department; the ER doc doesn't follow the patient, s/he moves on to the next one.

Pathology and radiology, for example, don't require the same empathy as obstetrics, pediatrics and oncology.

I suspect the character of James "Take my liver" Wilson is probably just as extreme as House.

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[–] hihihi-42 9 years ago

I'm a medical resident and many of the doctors and students I work with are misanthropes and oftentimes, in my opinion, shouldn't be in this profession. I think many people become doctors for the status or the money (I once talked to a pre-med who said if he had the money he would quit after he graduated med school, just so he could be called 'Doctor', the title is all he cared about). Since egotism is often a side effect of misanthropy, medicine can be a desired profession.

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[–] floriangray 9 years ago

It could be because he enjoys solving medical puzzles or mysteries, but I agree, it doesn't seem like a logical career choice for someone like House.

Who wants to live forever?

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[–] alexaw9 9 years ago

I don't think he was a misanthrope when he started. But more than anything else, he likes solving puzzles and being right and specifically tough medical cases that no one else seems able to solve fulfill both of those.

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[–] andy5868 9 years ago

It was funny to see House try to treat those clinic patients with care and respect during one episode. I think Cuddy challenged him to it. It didn't last long...

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[–] crissttigaldames 9 years ago

I'm actualy more surprised by the fact that he works in a hospital instead of in his own private consult, considering how much he hates receiving orders.

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[–] isensiel 8 years ago

His process requires things like MRIs, CT Scanners, ICU, path lab, his oncologist buddy, and occasionally an OR to be effective.

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[–] Eva_Marrie 9 years ago

I've met VERY few empathetic Drs in my life, and I've seen A LOT of Drs. Specialists tend to be particularly nasty - they rarely even make eye contact. I still remember being in pleasant shock when my surgeon actually looked at me with compassion.

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[–] Tree_Woman 9 years ago

I agree - my internist is the only Wilson-like doctor I have ever met. I think most doctors have House's voice in their heads, but just don't say stuff out loud.

My long-time veterinarian, who is a brilliant diagnostician, openly admits that he wishes he could make comments like Dr. House.

"You're so analytical! Sometimes you just have to let art... flow... over you." The Big Chill

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] king_of_bob 8 years ago

No it isn't. He's also a doctor, not a medic. But he's a doctor because he loves solving puzzles, not because he likes making people better.

The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/

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[–] helderuto 8 years ago

Holy ignorance, Batman.

A doctor is anyone who has a DOCTORATE. That applies to physicists, geologists, etc.

The Avengers aren't heroes. They're superpowered attention whores.

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[–] isensiel 8 years ago

He's a MEDICAL doctor not a medic. A medic is like a paramedic or field medic, someone who does first aid and transport of injured/ill parties to medical doctors/hospitals.

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