As a teenager, I loved watching the television show Doogie Howser, M.D. One of the best parts of the show was at the very end when he would type out thoughts that he had on his computer on an electronic journal titled “The Personal Journal of Doogie Howser, M.D.” – I just discovered that the journals have been meticulously recreated online. There are so many profound lessons and simple lessons that can be learned from a television show about a teenage genius that became a doctor.
There was one episode in particular that sticks out in my mind. In the episode, Doogie is in a social situation and he drinks exactly one beer. Perhaps not even the entire beer. He suddenly gets paged and makes the decision that he is going to drive. Predictably, he gets pulled over, and as a result of this he is unable to help the patient in crisis.
From the time I watched this episode I promised I would never allow myself to drive after even having one drink. I realized that it was somewhat of an exageration that less than an entire beer would affect someone so much that they would be summarily pulled over and given a hard time by the police, but it was an important lesson nonetheless.
What lessons have you learned from television doctors? What about other practitioners of medicine on television?