The Doctor's Dilemma

By George Bernard Shaw and Bernard Shaw

Book Overview

"The Doctor's Dilemma" is a satirical play written by George Bernard Shaw. This social comedy revolves around the ethical quandaries faced by a set of doctors once they need to determine which affected person is most deserving of limited clinical assets, particularly an existence-saving but experimental treatment. The imperative individual, Sir Colenso Ridgeon, a superb doctor, develops a groundbreaking remedy for tuberculosis, but is faced with the dilemma of getting the simplest amount of medication for one affected person. The scenario becomes more complicated when a charismatic artist, Louis Dubedat, enters the scene. Dubedat is diagnosed with tuberculosis, and his charm and persuasive skills gift a project to the medical doctors as they grapple with personal biases, professional ethics, and their own desires. Shaw uses the play to critique the clinical career, social hierarchies, and the moral complexities of choice-making. The narrative is laced with Shaw's signature wit and highbrow depth, reflecting the priorities and values inherent within the clinical field and society at large. "The Doctor's Dilemma" stands as a notion-scary exploration of the intersection between medicine, morality, and private ambition, showcasing Shaw's mastery of the use of humor and drama to dissect complicated social troubles.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9360462934
• ISBN13: 9789360462932
• Release Date: January 2024
• Publisher: Double 9 Books
• Length: 94 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

the Doctor's Dilemma

THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA is one of Shaw's most biting critical commentaries...this time on doctors. Shaw hated doctors, as a result of a botched operation on his foot, so here he portrays them as a group of ignorant, bull-headed windbags. All, that is, except for one doctor, who has actually found a cure for tuberculosis. The "dilemma" in the title is whether to use the cure on a talented young painter who is a moral and ethical sleazebag, or on an upstanding middle-aged physician who is a good soul, albeit a boring and relatively mundane one. All this is complicated by the fact that the doctor is in love with the painter's wife! The biggest problem with the play is that it has lost some of its impetus in the last century. Antibiotics can now cure tuberculosis, and the medical profession is far more restricted in its use of "experimental" treatments than it was then. However, Shaw's wit and invective is still poignant even at the end of the twentieth century. A must-read for Bernard Shaw enthusiasts....