Playing Doctor

by Turow, Joseph

• ISBN13: 9780472034277
• ISBN10: 0472034278
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-08-26
• Publisher: Univ of Michigan Pr

Summary

Playing Doctoris an engaging and highly perceptive history of the medical TV series from its inception to the present day. Turow offers an inside look at the creation of iconic doctor shows as well as a detailed history of the programs, an analysis of changing public perceptions of doctors and medicine, and an insightful commentary on how medical dramas have both exploited and shaped these perceptions. Originally published in 1989 and drawing on extensive interviews with creators, directors, and producers,Playing Doctorimmediately became a classic in the field of communications studies. This expanded edition includes a new introduction placing the book in the contemporary context of the health care crisis, as well as new chapters covering the intervening twenty years of television programming. Turow draws on Additional digital material for this book: recent research and interviews with principals in contemporary television doctor shows such asER,Grey's Anatomy,Private Practice, andScrubsto illuminate the extraordinary ongoing cultural influence of medical shows.Playing Doctorsituates the television vision of medicine as a limitless high-tech resource against the realities underlying the health care debate, both yesterday and today. Joseph Turow is Robert Lewis Shayon Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. He has authored eight books, edited five, movies & tv and written more than 100 articles on mass media industries. He has also produced a DVD titledPrime Time Doctors: Why Should You Care?which is distributed to all first-year medical students with the support of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.

Author Biography

Joseph Turow is Robert Lewis Shayon Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. He was named a Distinguished Scholar by the National Communication Association and a Fellow of the International Communication Association in 2010. He has authored eight books, edited five, and written more than 100 articles on mass media industries. He has also produced a DVD titled Prime Time Doctors: Why Should You Care? that has been distributed to all first-year medical students with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
"Internes Can't Take Money"	p. 18
"No Compromise with Truth"	p. 44
The Gentleman and the Bull	p. 69
"Oh...Doctor!"	p. 95
Witchcraft	p. 110
Narrowed Options	p. 126
Doctor Knows Best	p. 144
Long Hair, High Tech, and Mod	p. 175
Sexism, Stiffs, and Speed	p. 205
A Different Spin	p. 232
"Suicide is Painless"	p. 248
Chasing the Spirit of MASH	p. 272
"Our Walls are Cleaner"	p. 291
Splinters of ER	p. 331
"We Just Treat 'Em"	p. 359
Time Line: Prime-Time Network Doctor Series	p. 399
Notes	p. 403
Bibliography	p. 427
Index	p. 441
Illustrations	p. 174
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