Clownteraphy is a program in health care facilities involving
visits from especially trained clowns. They are called “clown doctors”. Those
visits to hospitals have been shown to help in lifting patients moods with the
positive power of hope and humor .
There is a beautiful film that talks about how Clownteraphy
started, what clownteraphy is and how patients
respond. This film is called “Patch Adams” and it is based on the life of Dr
“Patch” Adams and his book “Gesundheit”. Recently it has been Patch Adams’s birthday, he is now 72
years old!
THE PLOT OF THE MOVIE
A suicidal Hunter “Patch” Adams commits himself into a
mental institution. Once there, he finds that using humor, as opposed to the indifferent session provided
by their doctor, to help his fellow patients gives him a purpose in life. Because of this he wants to become a medical
doctor and two years later he enrolls at the Medical College of Virginia as the
oldest first year student.
He questions the
school's soulless approach to medical care and clashes with the school's Dean
Walcott, who believes that doctors must treat patients as patients and not bond
with them as people. Because of this and incidents such as setting up a giant pair
of legs during an obstetric conference, he is expelled from the medical school,
although he is later reinstated due to his methods actually helping patients
improve. Adams encourages medical students to work closely with nurses, learn
interviewing skills early, and argues that death should be treated with dignity
and sometimes even humor.
Adams begins a friendship with fellow student Carin Fisher
and develops his idea for a medical clinic built around his philosophy of
treating patients using humor and compassion.
Carin and Patch's friendship soon turns into romance. When
she tells him that she had been molested as a child, Patch comforts her
and reassures her that she can overcome her pain by helping others. Encouraged,
Carin wants to help a disturbed patient, Lawrence "Larry" Silver
(Douglas Roberts). However, Larry murders Carin then commits suicide.
Patch is devastated and guilt-ridden by Carin's death, and
begins to question the goodness in humanity. Standing on a cliff, he
contemplates suicide once again and questions God about what
happened. He then sees a butterfly which reminds him of Carin's telling him
earlier how she always wished she was a caterpillar that could someday
transform itself and fly away. The butterfly lands on his medical bag and on
his shirt before flying away. This reminds Patch of Carin and revives his
spirits, and he decides to continue his work in her honor.
He is expelled from medical school a second time for running
a clinic and practicing medicine without a license and because of complaints
that he has made his patients uncomfortable (which is obviously not true). He
files a grievance with the state medical board at the advice of his former
medical school roommate, uptight Mitch Roman .Patch is able to convince the
board that he did his best to help the people that came to him, and as a doctor
it is his responsibility to treat the spirit as well as the body. The board
accepts Patch's methods and decides to allow him to graduate. He receives a
standing ovation from the packed hearing room.
At graduation, Patch receives his diploma and bows to the
professors and the audience, revealing that he is not wearing anything under
his gown.
MOST BEAUTIFUL QUOTES
I’m a clown, which could be a public health role. I’m really
interested in moving our society away from a society needing Xanax and Prozac,
and that is really feeling depressed, to one that is celebrating, and so I find
just walking around in colorful clothes, people smile.
Humor is an antidote to all ills.
You’ve got to know what you want. This is central to acting on your intentions. When you know what you want, you realize that all there is left then is time management. You'll manage your time to achieve your goals because you clearly know what you're trying to achieve in your life.
What I really want is a world where no one alive can remember what the word 'war' means. That's my goal.
Humor is an antidote to all ills.
You’ve got to know what you want. This is central to acting on your intentions. When you know what you want, you realize that all there is left then is time management. You'll manage your time to achieve your goals because you clearly know what you're trying to achieve in your life.
What I really want is a world where no one alive can remember what the word 'war' means. That's my goal.
Francesca
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