Patch Adams in the 1998

¶ … Patch Adams

In the 1998 film Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams as Hunter "Patch" Adams and directed by Tom Shadyac, the viewer is treated to a wide variety of chaos set within a contemporary hospital, where Dr. Adams uses humor as a way of communicating and relating to his patients. Most of this chaos is based upon Adam's philosophy that laughter is the best medicine and as a caring doctor "will do almost anything to make his patients laugh, even if it means risking his own career" ("Patch Adams Story," Internet).

As part of the film's plot, there are several factors related to this chaos. First of all, Dr. Adams is up against a very rigid health care system that does not tolerate anyone going outside of the boundaries of traditional health care. Thus, in the film, "the medical and scientific community does not appreciate his methods of healing the sick" through the use of often zany comedic acts and much "clowning around" ("Patch Adams," IMDB, Internet). Second, unlike most of the doctors and physicians in this film, Dr. Adams pays special attention to the medical needs of his patients, rather than standing aloof as a highly-trained doctor with feelings of superiority. Also, Dr. Adams addresses each of his patients by name as a way of becoming their personal friend and confidant as opposed to most doctors simply noticing the room number and not caring about the name of the person he/she is treating. In addition, Dr. Adams is a very careful listener who pays very close attention to what his patients are saying about no only their illnesses but also their own personal lives.