Molière, a seventeenth-century French playwright renowned for his sharp wit and timeless comedies, satirized societal norms, hypocrisy, and human folly.
Molière particularly focused on doctors in his plays to critique the pretensions and incompetence of the medical profession in seventeenth-century France. Medicine at the time was heavily reliant on outdated practices which were often ineffective or harmful.
By mocking doctors, Molière exposed their tendency to prioritize status and wealth over genuine patient care, highlighting the hypocrisy within the profession. This critique also served as a broader commentary on human gullibility and the misuse of authority, resonating with audiences who were already skeptical of doctors. His plays provided both entertainment and sharp social criticism.
Molière himself suffered from poor health, and his firsthand experiences with doctors likely influenced his portrayal of them. He may have found their treatments ineffective or their attitudes insincere, which fueled his comedic critiques. Molière's doctors stubbornly defended their ineffective practices...
Today, we face our own version of this with modern medicine's overreliance on quick fixes — endless prescriptions for symptoms instead of cures and an industry incentivized to prioritize profit over health. We grapple with a system where chronic illnesses are managed, not resolved, and patients are caught in a cycle of dependency.
Moliere's world and ours may differ in tools, but the underlying problems remain hauntingly similar.
