Bertolt Brecht: A Worker's Speech to a Doctor
A Worker’s Speech to a Doctor
We know what makes us ill.
When we’re ill word says
You’re the one to make us well
For ten years, so we hear
You learned how to heal in elegant schools
Built at the people’s expense
And to get your knowledge
Dispensed a fortune
That means you can make us well.
Can you make us well?
When we visit you
Our clothes are ripped and torn
And you listen all over our naked body.
As to the cause of our illness
A glance at our rags would be more
Revealing. One and the same cause wears out
Our bodies and our clothes.
The pain in our shoulder comes
You say, from the damp; and this is also the cause
Of the patch on the apartment wall.
So tell us then:
Where does the damp come from?
Too much work and too little food
Make us weak and scrawny.
Your prescription says:
Put on more weight.
You might as well tell a fish
Go climb a tree
How much time can you give us?
We see: one carpet in your flat costs
The fees you take from
Five thousand consultations
You’ll no doubt protest
Your innocence. The damp patch
On the wall of our apartments
Tells the same story.
Discussion Questions
The poem draws us into the clinical encounter — naked body, ragged clothes. How does it speak to the root causes of illness?
The poem is critical of advice from doctors. When have you given, received, or overheard medical advice that was out of touch with social context? How did you feel about it?
The ending of the poem is especially evocative. Especially for those who practice medicine, how can we avoid defensiveness and learn from these lines?
Reflections from #MedHumChat
“Illness is a product of environments. Here it's depicted literally with jarring, traumatic imagery to help us identify with the "worker" and it's in stark contrast to the ivory tower of Medicine.” —@amarkelkar
“Homelessness and poverty often take years, takes continuity, trust and months (sometimes forever) to address. We can't expect to solve all problems in one or two or even 10 encounters. It takes time and TRUST must be earned.” —@davidrosenthal
“As a student, I listened as a doc suggested that a pt w/ diabetes try joining an expensive gym, then learn that she was rationing her meds because she couldn't afford to pay for them & her rent too. I imagine that woman felt a lot like the narrator of the poem.” —@DianaCejasMD
“I've learned to take out of my medical vernacular "I understand" --instead I've switched to "I hear you." I can hear the words of suffering but I can never truly understand the experience.” —@davidrosenthal
“As physicians one of our most powerful roles can be in lending our voices in advocacy to get at the real root drivers of our patients’ health—things like housing policy, SNAP benefit laws, structural racism, etc. We need to think big: outside the clinic.” —@KellyMDoran
About this #MedHumChat
“A Worker’s Speech to a Doctor” was paired with “A Bed for the Night,” a poem by Bertolt Brecht for a #MedHumChat discussion February 20, 2019 exploring Poverty, Homelessness, & Health in the Poetry of Bertolt Brecht.
We were honored to be joined by special guests Dr. Kelly Doran, MD (@KellyMDoran) and Dr. David Rosenthal, MD (@davidrosenthal) for this #MedHumChat. Dr. Doran is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at NYU with a focus on the effects of homelessness and substance use disorder on health. Dr. Rosenthal is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale with an interest in social determinants of health and medical-legal partnerships.
The pieces for this chat, along with the discussion questions, were selected by Colleen Farrell.
About the Author
Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956) was a German playwright and poet. You can learn more about him here.