h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As a geriatrician I'm feeling neglected, there's loads of TV shows about other types of medicine, but in Medicine for the Elderly we're just not sexy?

Why not? It's the lack of cute kids isn't it?

If you don't mind, I will begin the topic-drift on the very first post.
You see, a few years ago*, there was an American series called 'Numbers', about a mathematician solving crimes with the aid of maths.
It's such a daft idea that my friends and I came up with a spin-off idea, called 'Words'. It would be about an english literature academic solving crimes by means of literary criticism: things like spotting irregularities in a suicide note, or identifying a serial killer by the obscure literary allusions he puts in his taunting messages to the police...

* At least, I don't *think* it's on any more.

From what I saw of Numb3rs, even though the math was interesting and relevant, they always seemed to catch the criminal based on normal police work. I guess the FBI agent just wanted his brother to feel important.

Podiatry.

PP

Maybe it is the cuteness factor. Plenty of programmes with babies (or waiting for them), children and animals. Also the Embarrassing bodies type stuff

I haven't seen oncology, eat-nose and throat or orthopaedics featured particularly heavily on TV. Can't imagine why

Oncology was on the great ormond street documentary last week, and actually done very well. It looked at the dilemma involved and wasn't mawkish at all.

Dentristry although I wouldnt watch

Documentaries surely don't count. I thought you were talking about drama

Eat nose and throat is presumably usually in the Lecter ward...

...and Dentristry is presumably what you say - after you've been to one

Television prefers happy smiling doctors. Dentists always look down in the mouth.

There was an episode of Bones which featured someone calling himself a "forensic podiatrist".

I think we could probably come up with some snappy titles for these shows.

Forensic podiatrists in Whats Afoot?

I can see the opening to the one about oncologists.
Man lost in hospital wanders into a ward.
Patient sees him, points to himself and says, "Cancer."
Wandering man points to himself and says "Capricorn" and wanders out.

Me, Aquarius.



~jwf~

Gynacology.

No TV series yet, but I believe that there have been a few straight to video type films.

PP

Whatsit, the dad/husband in 'My family' is a dentist. Lots of dentistry goes on in that series. Not terribly flattering to dentists of course, but...

Colorectal surgeons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0w2rORwSc

Well that lowered the level.
But I still feel I ought to apologise for this one:
"Why There Are Never TV Shows About Dentists"
http://youtu.be/BX2pMK0lfp0


~jwf~

By way of making amends for that one here's
a Pop Quiz on Dentists in TV for the Quizzical.

http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Television/Dentists-in-Television-304962.html


~jwf~

Physios and Occupational Therapists... Though I've seen a little bit about a physiotherapist on a general hospital reality thing. Poor guy with nasty burns having to flex his leg. Ouch

Oddly enough, that's what I'll be training to do as of this summer. Bend people who will hate me.