M.A.
Semester II 1
GB Shaw
The Doctor’s Dilemma- George Bernard Shaw
Act I
BEAT PLOT MOVEMENT INTERPRETATION
Emmy and -Date- 15 June 1903 -Exposition- Dr. Ridgeon has
Redpenny seen -Emmy informs that there is a lady waiting to become Sir Ridgeon.
working at the see the Doctor. Redpenny disapproves. -Sets the tone and point of
study. -Emmy informs Redpenny that according to argument of the play- The
Conversation. the day’s papers, Dr. Ridgeon has been medical profession, its many
knighted. honours and the insignificance
-Emmy fawns over Ridgeon as he enters with of these to the common people.
dominion over him. -Emmy’s behavior suggests her
many years of service and
acquaintance with the
household.
Enter Ridgeon. -Exchange of words. -Ridgeon’s treatment of
Exit Emmy. -Redpenny congratulates Ridgeon who brushes subordinates suggests his
Conversation it off. arrogant and nonchalant attitude.
with Redpenny
Enter Dr. -An old friend of Ridgeon’s from 30 years -A realistic face of the medical
Schutzmacher. back in college drops in to congratulate him. profession in the early 20th
-He is a general practitioner who modestly century, where the doctor has
talks about his practice and surgery. now turned into a merchant who
-Although he sounds modest, he indeed owns a resorts to advertisement,
flat in the town and a house in Hertfordshire. disclaimers and guarantee
-The reason behind his success is two words- statements.
Cure Guaranteed. He depends on pure chance -Commercialization of medical
to make his medicine work on the patients and profession and unethical
has been lucky so far. practices.
EXIT
Enter Sir Patrick -Congratulates Ridgeon in a roundabout -Professional jealousy and clash
Cullen manner, suggesting feigning and disapproval. of generations.
-Exposition- The reason why Ridgeon has been -Ridgeon is impassive at the
knighted- He made a discovery in medical plight of a woman who had been
science. He has found a cure for TB. maimed under his care. This is
-Sir Patrick finds it hard to believe, as there shocking and anticipates the
had been many claims in the past. He also insensitivity of doctors to the
quotes past blunders committed by Ridgeon patients.
like in the treatment of Jane Marsh, who lost -Ridgeon’s description of his
her right arm under the treatment of Ridgeon discomfort and the answer of Sir
for TB. Patrick suggests that the
-Ridgeon’s treatment of TB is the vaccination infliction is love or deprivation
using Opsonin, which butters up the disease or yearning for love.
germs so that the white blood corpuscles
(phagocytes) would consume them. But key to
this treatment is, it should be performed only
when the patient is in a naturally productive
Minu V.
M.A. Semester II 2
GB Shaw
phase of bodily Opsonin. At this “upgrade”
phase, Opsonin should be externally injected to
rescue the patient. If the treatment is performed
in the “downgrade” phase, the patient is in
danger of death. Blood tests should be
performed to determine the phase.
-Ridgeon seeks medical assistance from Sir
Patrick as he’s suffering from certain
discomforts.
Enter Dr.Cutler -A “chloroform surgeon” according to Sir -Cutler’s specialization suggests
Walpole Patrick (tone of disgust and disapproval) further decline in the quality of
-Cutler is from a family of surgeons who medical industry.
became rich by cutting out unwanted parts of -Medical profession now caters
human body. His specialty is removal of to the popular fashion, which
nuciform sack, which has become quite during those days was removal
fashionable. of the nuciform sack. Hint of
-He attributes every disease with blood consumerism and
poisoning and his solution is simple- remove commercialization.
the nuciform sack. He has had some success at
this new medical business due to chance and
luck.
Enter Sir Ralph -BB had sent an opera singer to Walpole to get - The singer incident is another
Bloomfield a growth in the throat removed and he had dig at the negligence and
Bonington (BB) instead removed the nuciform sack, which unprofessionalism in the
incidentally worked for him, as she regained industry.
her voice.
-BB recites his success story. He has had
success using the inoculation cure discovered
by Ridgeon but he prescribes it to be taken
before every meal. It has worked for him till
now by pure chance, as evident from Prince
Harry’s reinstating to health.
-BB suggests that behind every illness there is
a germ at work. Germs are of two kinds-
genuine ones and imitating germs.
-He disapproves of older generation doctors’
techniques and discoveries.
Enter Blenkinsop -A poor doctor who comes to offer modest Another face of medical
congratulations. He barely makes a living as profession, modest and genuine,
his patients are mostly working class people catering for the lesser endowed.
and he lives in the countryside. His enthusiasm The doctor doesn’t reap a great
in book learning has faded in his attempts to reward here.
make two ends meet. As his patients can’t
afford luxurious cures, he prescribes natural The clash of opinions and
cures to them. egoistic arguments suggest
An argument about the best kind of cure disagreement in any profession,
ensues, each Doctors justifying their own from which even the famed and
practice. honoured medical profession is
Sir Patrick- old generation method of drugs. He not spared.
is of the opinion that inoculation is a method
Minu V.
M.A. Semester II 3
GB Shaw
already suggested by the older generation BB’s careless treatment of
doctors. patients is further alarming.
BB- Inoculation and destruction of disease
germs. Disapproves drugs are they only repress The hypocrisy of the profession
symptoms and don’t eradicate diseases. is mocked by Shaw in portraying
Walpole- Surgical removal of the nuciform difference of interests, open
sack which causes blood poisoning. debates and sly criticism behind
the backs.
BB once unknowingly exchanged medicines of
a typhoid patient and a tetanus patient and still
got away with it as both were cured. He comes
to the conclusion that the medicines injected
into their systems helped indeed to destroy the
disease cells.
EXIT WALPOLE
BB criticizes Walpole’s practice as unscientific
and sheer luck and calls him a fraud.
EXIT BB
Blenkinsop is invited to lunch later that week
but he has to decline as he cannot afford it.
Conversation Comment on the medical profession as being a The raw truth about the medical
between Ridgeon conspiracy. It thrives on the ignorance and profession is disconcerting.
and Sir Patrick superstition of the patients.
EXIT SIR PATRICK.
Emmy convinces Ridgeon to meet the lady
downstairs, as she had gifted (bribed) her half a
crown. Ridgeon who wants to get out of the
situation, informs Redpenny to call him off the
consultation by citing an emergency.
Mrs Dubedat and -Ridgeon arrogantly says that he would not be -Ridgeon’s arrogance is further
Ridgeon able to help in any way as his hands are full. revealed.
His facility can take care of only ten patients at -The nonchalant attitude of
a time. doctors towards suffering is
-She begs to save her husband’s life, but she daunting.
doesn’t manage to shake his resolve. He takes -The need to prove the worth of
offence being thought of as a curemonger and a human life, if it needs rescuing
quack. sounds inhumane. The
-She shows him some drawings by her talented assumption that the medical men
23 year old husband to prove the worth of his are indeed lacking on emotional
life. Ridgeon takes fancy on a drawing of Mrs quotient and the need for
Dubedat (Jennifer) and offers her a scientific and systematic
consultation later that week in exchange of the explanation of everything
picture. including the worth of a human
-Redpenny enters to warn Ridgeon about an life is made.
emergency at the hospital. Thinking it’s a fake
warning, he brushes it off and seeks to talk to
the woman in front of him. She’s concerned
about the life of a patient, but when he reveals
his falsehood, she is shocked.
Minu V.
