Comments on: The immortal words of Patch Adams, M.D. http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/11/immortal-words-of-patch-adams-md.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:09:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Okulushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/11/immortal-words-of-patch-adams-md.html#comment-68634 Okulus Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:49:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/11/the-immortal-words-of-patch-adams-md.html#comment-68634 Patch came to my medical school once where I heard him speak. That was pre-Hollywood, but even then he was definitely into the circus clown approach. There wasn't so much of the dark endgame message, though, but you could see without any imagining that he was pretty far out of the mainstream. He was living in West Virginia then, but his mindset was more like Berkeley, ca. 1970, very much an advocate of a lifestyle that would have been in the outer orbit of the Whole Earth circle. He believed patients should be residents, and yes, spent a great deal of time with them.<br/><br/>The strangeness makes him drift off-message; that, or he has a different message. It is a shame he discourages psychopharmacology. There is a great deal of suffering relieved by those drugs, even if they aren't perfect. Patch came to my medical school once where I heard him speak. That was pre-Hollywood, but even then he was definitely into the circus clown approach. There wasn’t so much of the dark endgame message, though, but you could see without any imagining that he was pretty far out of the mainstream. He was living in West Virginia then, but his mindset was more like Berkeley, ca. 1970, very much an advocate of a lifestyle that would have been in the outer orbit of the Whole Earth circle. He believed patients should be residents, and yes, spent a great deal of time with them.

The strangeness makes him drift off-message; that, or he has a different message. It is a shame he discourages psychopharmacology. There is a great deal of suffering relieved by those drugs, even if they aren’t perfect.

]]> By: Esquivelhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/11/immortal-words-of-patch-adams-md.html#comment-68623 Esquivel Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:06:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/11/the-immortal-words-of-patch-adams-md.html#comment-68623 Perhaps it's just the movie curse or something. Seems that once an otherwise unkown gets hollywooded, they either go crazy (as this man may now be) or they're exposed as a total fraud (Erin Brockovich). Not sure why that is, but it's worth considering. Perhaps it’s just the movie curse or something. Seems that once an otherwise unkown gets hollywooded, they either go crazy (as this man may now be) or they’re exposed as a total fraud (Erin Brockovich). Not sure why that is, but it’s worth considering.

]]> By: Criminallopathhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/11/immortal-words-of-patch-adams-md.html#comment-68621 Criminallopath Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:02:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/11/the-immortal-words-of-patch-adams-md.html#comment-68621 Another idiot with a soapbox. Just happens to have the letters "MD" after his name. Level of credibility - equivalent to that of a Susanne Sommers or Streisand. One wonders how the clinicians will chafe under the yoke of Democratic leadership. Another idiot with a soapbox. Just happens to have the letters “MD” after his name. Level of credibility – equivalent to that of a Susanne Sommers or Streisand. One wonders how the clinicians will chafe under the yoke of Democratic leadership.

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