Does anyone else find it impossible to turn on the TV without being exposed to the kind of human gore-fest normally reserved for medical students?
You're only ever one flick away from up-close and personal shots of folks' malfunctioning nether regions or their innards being pulled outwards.
The other night I was pottering around as the TV mumbled in the background (I know that's what they all say, but truly, I was not a willing viewer of this show). The format was simple. Stick a camera in the corner of a GP's room as patients trundle in with minor ailments. Lulled by the lack of drama, I looked up at the very moment a woman's ear was unblocked of debris. If you witnessed it, I'm sorry to remind you. If you didn't, I'll spare you the gore. Suffice to say, I nearly saw my dinner again.
There was a time when we were only versed in the complexities of a health complaint if it affected us. Now, through medical drama and fly-on-the-wall documentaries, every day is a medical school day and it's not doing us any favours.
The odd show is worth watching, such as the compelling 24 Hours in A&E, but the majority are revolting. The most hideous must be Embarrassing Bodies, which is only broadcast when I'm eating. It's been said before, but I'll say it again until we get a convincing answer: what on earth compels people with an embarrassing complaint, which they have invariably lived with for years rather than consult a doctor, to suddenly get it seen to with a camera crew in tow?
A GP once told me that he and colleagues could chart an appointment surge after the latest health stories were published every Tuesday in the papers. People would read about illnesses and become convinced they were afflicted.
I can't imagine what the current information overload is doing for the worried well. As a self-confessed hypochondriac, I've decided to cut these shows out of my life. First to go was House, the slick American show that revived the career of Hugh Laurie. Focusing as it did on the most far-fetched, random medical complaints, it provided ample worry fodder for those in apparent good health.
As the series worked its way through the compendium of freak medical conditions, my anxiety levels soared. Next is Casualty. I used to love the unfolding human drama and could look away for the icky bits, but I've had it with the wall-to-wall yuck and sense of impending doom and am discharging myself for good.
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