Since my youth (yes, I'm about to "date" myself), I have always loved medical and hospital-based television shows. No, I am not old enough to have enjoyed Marcus Welby. But I did watch St. Elsewhere (where I first fell in love with Denzel) and the original ER (where I first fell in love with George). I should also confess to watching General Hospital in high school (the Luke and Laura days). It seems like now there is a reinvigoration of quality medical TV shows. So, I've decided to devote this week's blogs to some current shows. Today, I'll tackle House (Tuesday nights on Fox), and Friday I'll talk about ER (Thursdays on NBC) and Grey's Anatomy (Thursdays on ABC).

I just started watching House this year, and it has quickly become my favorite medical show. For those of you who don't watch, Dr. House (played by Hugh Laurie) is a brilliant diagnostician and infectious disease specialist. However, he has nothing resembling a true "bedside manner" and he is downright rude and mean to his patients and colleagues. Somehow, they have made his poor behavior acceptable (or maybe just dismissable) because he is so darn genius. He works closely with three very smart residents known by their last names, Foreman, Cameron, and Chase. They suffer his indignities because they learn so much working with him.

The cases and patients depicted in the show are always fascinating. The patients come in with some strange illness or condition, and House and his team perform various tests and perform procedures to try to pinpoint the disease process at work. They sometimes even go to the patient's home to collect samples or conduct environmental tests. I'm not a health care provider, but the level of medical information in the show is very high yet usually understandable (a tribute to the script writers being able to provide explanations for extremely complex problems targeted at an intelligent but nonmedical audience; yes, I fancy myself an "intelligent" TV viewer!). For example, the patient on last night's show was first thought to have male menopause. Upon further evaluation, they see that he seemed to be having mini-heart attacks caused by his unrequited love for his colleague and brother's fiance. House decided to erase his memory (basically, through a lobotomy) so he will no longer remember that he loves this woman. When more clues are revealed, however, we find out that the patient really has a meningioma in his brain, which they remove and the patient's problem is cured. Unfortunately, in the process, he has lost all of his memories.

House is rude, sarcastic, and lacks basic professionalism. Although I would hope that no physicians behave as abhorrently as House, I do tend to overlook his personal affronts because he mostly ends up "curing" his patients in some way. I would rather have good doctor than a polite doctor (although both are preferred). What I do find troubling, however, is that House is a drug addict. I don't know the entire history from previous episodes, but he is in constant pain due to some condition in his leg (he walks with a limp and carries a cane). Thus, he is addicted to pain killers, which he tends to abuse. In last night's episode, his boss Dr. Cuddy (the dean of medicine and hospital administrator) perjures herself in a trial against House (involving his theft of prescription drugs) in order to keep him out of jail and in practice. To me, that sends a dangerous message, as drug addiction among physicians is a very serious problem. I know--it's just TV, but I didn't agree with that particular plot point.

I have had a few brief conversations with some of our physicians and faculty about this show. Some enjoy it; others refuse to watch it because House is antithetical to what a doctor should be. I have to admit that I sometimes find House charming in his obnoxious way, and I admire his intelligence. It's an interesting juxtaposition of professionalism and entertainment.

So, how many of you watch House? Love it? Hate it? Has this show--or any other medical shows--inspired you to consider a career in health care? Or, do you view these shows purely as entertainment? I'm curious about your comments.

On Friday, I'll discuss two other favorites: ER and Grey's Anatomy.