Real doctors talk about TV portrayal

In a discussion titled “It Must Be True, I Saw it on TV” a panel of certified physicians discussed how the medical field is depicted on popular TV programs, such as “ER.”

For the most part, doctors applauded shows like “ER,” the ’80s show “St. Elsewhere” and “Chicago Hope” for portraying realistic situations and for showing doctors as real people, not miracle workers. Randolph Smoah, former AMA president, said these practical depictions help reduce unrealistic expectations by real-life patients.

At the same time, doctors agreed that the TV programs should also address such issues as uninsured patients, the struggle against HMOs, patients’ bills of rights and nursing shortages.

“Can’t you picture an episode where someone gets a prescription from the ER and says, `Well, doctor, I won’t be able to eat next week if I buy your medicine,”‘ Smoak said. “What kind of powerful message would that carry to the public and the policy makers of our country?”

Past shows, such as “Marcus Welby, M.D.” and “Dr. Kildare” from the 1960s presented a romanticized view of doctors, panel participants said.

The panel was on the last day of the American Medical Association’s national leadership conference.

Battle wages on for Garcia’s guitars

When Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia died in 1995, he left his guitars to Doug Irwin, who built some of Garcia’s most famous guitars, “Tiger,” “Wolf,” “Headless” and “Rosebud.” The guitars have been estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Grateful Dead Productions, the company that is in charge of the band’s business affairs, claimed the guitars were the property of the band.

Irwin and Grateful Dead Productions recently reached a compromise; each would receive two guitars.

The deal was to be finalized Tuesday, but Irwin’s lawyer maintained that one guitar should pass through Garcia’s estate, which means that Irwin would not have to pay taxes on it.

A judge will consider the latest development at a hearing in May.

– News gathered by Bethany Kohoutek from the Associated Press and billboard.com.