Where To Watch
A real doctor watched M*A*S*H and pointed out what was accurate — and what wasn’t
While some scenes wouldn’t happen in real life, the classic sitcom got some surprising things right.
Doctor Mike Varshavski is a family medicine physician who has gained fame for his funny insights and reactions to medical movies and shows. His Youtube channel has 7.7 million subscribers and some of his videos have reached over 20 million views. Of course, the fact that People magazine named him “Sexiest Doctor Alive” might have something to do with his popularity as well.
He has watched and reacted to everything from Grey’s Anatomy to medical scenes in Seinfeld and pointed out what is and isn’t medically accurate. He recently scrutinized M*A*S*H and had plenty to say.
It goes without saying that a fictional sitcom isn’t the best source of medical information. Doctor Mike mentions a few things that would never happen in a real hospital, especially in the 21st century. But Hawkeye, Major Houlihan, Radar and the rest were working in the 1950s on the front lines of a brutal war. Certain compromises had to be made and exact protocol couldn’t always be followed.
Nevertheless, it’s a fun look at how a doctor views a medical series. One of the most accurate things M*A*S*H portrays? Doctors have notoriously bad handwriting.
29 Comments
For awhile didn't they have a limit on how much "blood" could be shown per episode?
His pick for the least accurate? Hawaii Five-O. Why? "Because at the end of every episode McGarrett says 'Book 'em, Danno' and if that was really the case you'd never see Danno on the show because he'd be spending all of his time in court."
His pick for the most realistic TV cop show?
Barney Miller!