A noble, awesome Bitchery reader forwarded me this absolutely snort-worthy article from the Lancet, a UK medical journal, which looks at medical romance.
Take a look – it’s worth the download.
Brendan D. Kelly, from the Department of Adult Psychiatry at University College of Dublin, who has an astonishing number of letters after his name took a look at 20 medical romance novels, and based on the areas of medical practice featured in those novels, he writes:
These novels draw attention to the
romantic possibilities of primary care
settings and the apparent inevitability
of uncontrolled passions in the context
of emergency medicine, especially as
practised on aeroplanes. These novels
suggest that there is an urgent need
to include instruction in the arts of
romance in training programmes
for doctors and nurses who intend working in these settings.
The best part? The end where Dr. Kelly declares that he has “no conflict of interest.”
The story was picked up by the BBC today, and if you look at their listen again page, and click the file for 0730-8000, at about 12:35 minutes in, they discuss the article as part of their news coverage. Their health correspondent interviews Dr. Kelly about his survey of medical romance in a 4 minute segment.
Seems Dr. Kelly thinks the medical romance are amusing and silly because they are so far removed from the reality of the medical profession. But the swell of romantic music as he describes the commonalities among the medical romance novels is delightfully condescending and yet giggle-worthy.
He’s got a point about the lack of realism: I do watch shows like Grey’s Anatomy and say to myself that if I ever needed emergency medical care and I ended up at a hospital where the doctors were busy boinking each other in the closets, I’d be calling my attorney and getting the hell out of there. But for entertaining escapism? Few settings are as passionately charged and fascinating to outsiders as hospitals.
The part of the story I find most amusing is that of all the articles he’s written, the romance novel examination is the one that made the most media splash and penetrated beyond medical publishing. Well, duh, dude.
Never boinked in a closet when I was working ER. But I knew folks who did!
I almost became a nurse because I was convinced that somewhere there was a Dr. Doug Ross aka George Clooney that needed me.
Together we would save the sick and shag in between emergencies.
My grandmother who was a “real” nurse informed me that all doctors didn’t look like Dr. Ross and that while shagging in between emergencies did take place it wasn’t as much fun as you would imagine.
Funny, I never thought to ask how she knew about the shagging ~AW
I like how he “studied” the novels… not read, not wanked to, but “studied”…. Yeah, right. Cute article.
Either Dr. Lotsaletters has a fabulous sense of humor, or none at all—either way, I giggled about the bit “uncontrolled passions in the context of emergency medicine, especially as practised on aeroplanes.” 😀
here is yahoo news’ take on the article- a bit on the condescending side http://tinyurl.com/35nyy8
Never done it myself but I did know someone who worked as a candy striper and boinked at least one doctor in a closet.
Letters? He can suck on my MCLIP.
Is that legal where you are? Because DAMN.
Fantastic! Loved the ‘Dr Kildare’ theme blended with the ‘Casualty’ theme! Have to agree with Kaite – not quite sure whether his tongue is firmly in his cheek, even if the presenter’s is!
I was amused at the redundancy of him talking about which pairings were most prevalent. If all the males were doctors and the majority of the females were doctors, and all of the pairings were heterosexual… well, maybe he had a word count to make or something. Funny little article, though.
of all the articles he’s written, the romance novel examination is the one that made the most media splash and penetrated beyond medical publishing
Duh indeed. Did you see what else he’s written?
Extreme agitation occurring with zopiclone!
The emerging mental health strategy of the European Union: A multi-level work-in-progress!
Dr William Saunders Hallaran and psychiatric practice in nineteenth-century Ireland!
Moving to a purpose built acute psychiatric unit on a general hospital site—does the new environment produce change for the better???????
Legal limits for paracetamol sales!
Penrose’s Law in Ireland: an ecological analysis of psychiatric inpatients and prisoners!
A morphometric magnetic resonance method for measuring cranial, facial and brain characteristics for application to schizophrenia: part 1!
Tee-hee, he works on Eccles Street.
Hey, you got to watch out when seniors go wild on zoplicone/immovane!