Abisha Ali

Professor Richard Raspa

Hon 4200

13 November 2017

The Art of Medicine

Art can be found in everything around us. It is widely seen in paintings, drawings and

photographs. Art is the music we hear on the radio. Art is not only present in these popular

materials, but art is also the way in which actions are carried out. The delicate manner in which a

dinner is prepared can be art. The way each of us communicates with others can be art. Doing a

job with all of ones energy and maintaining a positive attitude can be art as well. Art is seen

through actions that reveal passion and precision, and yet are also spontaneous and impulsive.

This does not exclude the actions of medical intervention and treatment. The film, The Doctor,

depicts an esteemed surgeon, Jack, who discovers he has cancer and must now take on the

difficult role of the patient. In the story, The Steel Windpipe, a young doctor, straight out of

medical school, is placed in charge of a rural hospital and is faced with an emergency

tracheotomy procedure for which he lacks experience. Both of these works play on this idea of

art in the practice of medicine. In this paper, I will define the art of medicine and I will argue that

there is a lack of existence of the art of medicine in the film, The Doctor, but that there is an

existence of the art of medicine in the story, The Steel Windpipe by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Art encompasses all aspects of life and is not limited to only one thing. Thus, the practice

of medicine is also comprised of art. The art of medicine is present in the way a patient heals. In

order to truly heal suffering, the physician must not only aid in the curing of any medical

problems, but also help to treat the whole human being. In order to truly heal, both body and soul
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must be cleared of suffering. This way of practicing medicine is an art form. It includes treating

patients as humans rather than just treating an illness. Medicine is also a form of art in how the

physician perceives his/her job. The physician can either be exhausted with the amount of work

that goes into the occupation or can choose to take on every case that comes to him. When a

physician practices medicine with passion, dedication, and perseverance, we see success in the

outcomes. Actions that are preformed in such a manner are considered art. Furthermore, the art

of medicine is present in the act of medicine itself. When a physician is present in the moment,

focusing only on the job at hand, he can lose himself in the action, becoming one with the tools

in his hand and losing all sense of time. The motions of a surgery can flow together to create

something of beauty. In this way, medicine itself is an art form. If medicine is practiced in the

different ways described here, we see the existence of the art of medicine. If not, then we see a

lack of existence of art in practicing medicine.

In the film, The Doctor, there appears to be a lack of existence of art. One aspect that we

clearly see is the lack of true healing. Towards the beginning of the movie, a woman who is

Jacks patient comes in for a check-up and asks a serious question to the doctor, but he dismisses

the question and answers with a joke instead, with his back turned towards her. In this scene, we

see Jacks failure to treat the whole being. He appeared to be concerned with the medical side of

the situation, but showed a lack of compassion towards his patient who was still suffering to

some extent. In this, we see a lack of art in the way he practices medicine. Once Jack becomes

the patient of Dr. Abbott, we see him treated in a similar manner as well. When Dr. Abbott

delivers the news that the radiation is not working for Jack, her back is turned towards him and

she is fixing her lipstick. She creates a disconnect between the physician and the patient. She

shows a similar lack of empathy and compassion to her patient as Jack did to his patient. Again,
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in this we see a lack of art in the practice of medicine. Furthermore, we can see a lack of true

healing through the relationship between Jack and June. They form an emotional bond with each

other since they both are going through a similar issue. This friendship appears to be formed by

the lack of emotional support provided to them from their doctor. The friendship between Jack

and June is symbolic of the lack of sensitivity Dr. Abbott has for her patients and therefore, also

symbolic of a lack of art.

In the film, we additionally see a lack of existence of art through the lack of presence of

the physicians. The physicians in the film do not appear to be present in the moment and

focusing on the situation at hand. We see this first in the opening of the film, Jack and his

partners are singing and dancing along to music in the operating room during a surgery rather

than completely focusing on the patient and the task at hand. We see this idea again in the scene

where Dr. Abbott is fixing her lipstick. She is more focused on her appearance than the situation

that her patient is dealing with. I believe that this lack of presence is ultimately due to the level of

confidence that the physicians have. They have become extremely confident in their work and

hold themselves to a higher status than their patients. This creates a disconnect between the

physicians and their patients that is revealed through the lack of being fully present in the

moment, which also shows a lack of existence of art in the way they practice medicine.

Overall, there is a lack of existence of the art of medicine in the film because the

physicians in the film did not appear to be very passionate or dedicated to their careers as

doctors. Both of the main physicians in the film, Jack and Dr. Abbott, appeared carefree and

almost self-absorbed. We see this in the movie when Jack forgets about his wifes speech. We

see that Jack is focused on himself and the status that his career provides for him. Although Jack

may appear dedicated to working, he is not dedicated to the way in which he does the work. He
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is not dedicated to his patients and it is revealed in the way he jokes about them. Dr. Abbott is

not dedicated to her career either. We see her treat Jack poorly and can infer she treated June in

the same manner. Throughout the movie, there is no feeling of passion in the work the physicians

do. It feels merely like a job that must get done.

Contrary to the film, in the short story, The Steel Windpipe, there is an existence of art in

medicine. We can see that the physician has tried to completely heal the patient. At the end of the

story, the mother brings the daughter back for a check-up and after gently examining the girl he

tells them that they do not have to come back anymore. The mother expresses her gratitude for

what the physician has done for them. Through this gratitude, it is somewhat revealed that the

physician has at least tried to truly heal the patient, body and soul. The young girl slightly resists

lifting her head during the examination which might indicate that she has not fully come to terms

with the procedure, but we also do not see her suffering in any way. Through this, we see that

there is the existence of some art of medicine in the story.

We additionally see the existence of the art of medicine in the way that the physician is

present in the moment. In the story, once the baby has been diagnosed with diphtheria, the

physician examines her throat and during this, gets spit on. In this moment he does not flinch or

move, he is absorbed in what he sees in the girls throat. He is fully present in the moment during

the examination. We again see the physician present in the moment during the operation. Once

the physician has opened up the airway, the feldsher begins to faint while holding the hook

connected to the windpipe. The physician is in awe, but does not panic. The midwife grabs the

hook from the feldsher and the doctor continues with the procedure. He does not stop to wonder

about the feldsher on the ground or stop to help him. He is focused only on the surgery that he is

performing and healing the patient that is on the table. In this act of being fully present in the
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moment, we see the existence of the art of medicine. In addition to being present during the

operation, we see that the doctor lacks the experience and confidence he needs for this

procedure. However, he does not let this stop him or affect his work. He knows that he was put

in charge of this hospital to help people and wants to fulfill this duty. Although the readers see

the physician panic internally, he always stays calm and collected on the outside. He is firm in

his decision to operate even though he fears it might not end well. We see the physician make up

for his lack of confidence with dignity and perseverance. In this manner that we see the doctor

perform the surgery, we can consider it a form of art.

Overall, there is an existence of the art of medicine in the story due to the physicians

passion and dedication to his career. Throughout the story we see that the physician is terrified of

performing the emergency procedure because he lacks experience. However, this fear does not

stop him at any point. It would have been easy for him to say that there was nothing he could do

for the baby, that it was too late for her. Instead, we see him impulsively suggest a surgery that

could cure her. Against his fear, he suggests an operation he has never performed before. In this

act alone, the true passion and dedication of the physician is revealed to the readers. At one point

in the story, he wishes that he had not gone into medicine. Despite this, he remembers that he is

there to help people and to save lives. This passion and dedication to his career as a physician is

reflected in the success of his work. He takes on the case, suggests an operation that is new to

him, and then perseveres through the procedure in order to save the life of his patient. In these

actions, we see that there is a strong presence of the art of medicine.

Through the analysis, it is clear that the film lacks the existence of art in medicine,

whereas the story exhibits the ways in which art can be present in medicine. In this, we see the

stark contrast between the outcomes of medicine that lacks art and medicine that includes it.
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Medicine that lacks some form of art leads to continued suffering for the patient. It holds back a

physician from using his full potential in the work he does. The lack of art in medicine affects

both the patient and physician in a negative manner. On the other hand, the presence of art in

medicine is similar to grace under pressure. A physician must work gracefully, with passion and

dedication, even when the situation is frightening and tests the ability to perform well. A

physician who practices the art of medicine is better able to relieve the suffering of the patient as

well, leading to positive outcomes for both the physician and patient. Through this, we can see

that art is a necessary factor of medicine, as both the patient and physician unknowingly rely on

it. Due to this necessity of art in medicine, we could consider medicine itself an art form that is

based on science.
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Works Cited

Reynolds, Richard C., et al. Mikhail Bulgakov. On Doctoring: Stories, Poems, Essays, 3rd ed.,

Simon & Schuster, 2001, pp. 7885.

Haines, Randa, director. The Doctor. Touchstone Pictures, 1991.