Medicine in the movies.
In the movie "Awakenings" starring Robert de Niro and Robin Williams what was the drug used on the patients?
"Awakenings" was based on Olver Sack's book describing cases in which the drug Levodopa worked on patients with post encephalitic Parkinson's disease. It was hailed as a miracle drug. Unfortunately the period of benefit from Levodopa was limited and patients developed tics, chorea and emotional instability. It is an excellent film and is certainly worth a look.
What disease did "The Elephant man" suffer from? The 1980 movie starred John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins.
Tough question. It was thought that "The Elephant Man" suffered from Neurofibromatosis Type 1 but 2 Canadian geneticists determined in 1986 that he was suffering from the much rarer "Proteus syndrome".
Tembo is elephant and Nguruwe is warthog in Swahili.
What was the origin of the nickname"Patch" in the "Patch Adams" movie starring Robin Williams?
The real "Patch Adams" is an interesting medico who considers himself a peace activist and supports free medical care. Here is a link to his "Gesundheit" web page.
Jack Nicholson starred in the 1975 film "One flew over the cuckoo's nest". How in the movie does he die?
Great movie. Jack Nicholson's character pleads insanity and finds himself in a psychiatric ward. He pushes individuality in the oppressed ward run by Nurse Rachett. The picture swept the Academy awards that year.
What is Michael Moore's 1997 documentary called "Sicko" about?
A penetrating look at how the US health system is expensive and profit gouging leaving health care unavailable and unaffortable to a great swathe of Americans. Certainly worth a look.
Which one of these movies or TV shows was NOT based in the Emergency Department?
Code Black was made but not Code Brown.
In which war was the movie M.A.S.H set? It subsequently became a long running TV show.
Interestingly the TV series of M.A.S.H actually lasted on TV 3 times longer than the actual Korean war.
"Flatliners" is a 1990 movie with 5 medical students doing near death experiments. What does "Flatliners" mean?
They did experiments on each other to stop their hearts for a short period in order to experience a near death experience. (Don't try this at home).
What is the 1991 movie "The Doctor" with William Hurt about?
It is a better movie than it sounds mainly on the back of the skills of William Hurt as the doctor.
Contagion is a 2011 movie about a pandemic. What real virus was it based on?
Nipah virus is a bat borne virus that causes severe respiratory illness and encephalitis. It has an estimated case fatality rate of 40 to 75%. The movie was set well before the Covid pandemic. It is a surprisingly well put together movie starring the somewhat flaky Gwyneth Paltrow.