AAMC Reporter: February 2007

Clown Docs Treat With Humor

Dana Abendschein, Ph.D., and Jane Abendschein

The doctor leans in to the young patient and says, "I'd like to draw your blood." The child recoils in fear.

A few questions first, however. Does the patient have blood? And what color is it? After a moment, the doctor makes some markings on a sheet of paper and holds it up—a red blotch. He just drew the patient's blood! The child giggles appreciatively, and perhaps not without a little relief. But the patient does not even know the man is a professional.

Because he's dressed as a clown. For more than 20 years now Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine faculty member Dana Abendschein, Ph.D., and his wife, Jane, have been ministering to hospital patients, prison inmates, nursing home residents, and other groups as Professor Dude and Doctor Tickles. Or Liberty and Belle, depending on what day you catch them.

"We take a read of the room, and we give the control to the [audience]," Jane Abendschein says of their approach.

"We just try to initiate the fun, and let them guide and direct what we do."

The performance, which can include jokes and gags, magic tricks, bubble blowing, and peacock feather balancing, is adapted to each audience.

"We try to adjust the routine based on where we are and what the mood is," Dana Abendschein says. "We just try to make everybody's day a little bit better."

The performances have generated so much interest among medical students that the school has created "The Medicine of Laughter," a selective course, and is considering integrating the idea more fully into the entire curriculum.

"It's all about how students can access humor for themselves, to manage stress and communicate with patients," Dana Abendschein says. "Humor is a very powerful tool."

—S.H.

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