Two doctors walk into a room.

It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it’s actually the prelude to our very first MFC in-person roundtable. An addendum to our second episode this season entitled, My First Inspiration, Faith and Maggie’s conversation with artist-doctor Mike Natter and musician-doctor Fred Bertino continues our previous discussion about the relationship between art and medicine and how one affects the other.

“Always two there are, no more, no less. A master and an apprentice.” ~ Yoda

We’re about to make a few assumptions, so please hang on. Assuming you have some knowledge of “The Hero’s Journey” via Joseph Campbell, or via George Lucas via Joseph Campbell, or via just about any Marvel or D.C. Comics movie reboot in the last decade, you know that basically every heroic story is based on a common myth. Think about all of your favorite epic, action-adventure, or fantasy films with the soaring scores and scary bad guys. They all kind of have the same plot, right? The humble, reluctant protagonist is faced with a challenge that they are either unwilling or unprepared to face until someone more experienced comes along to teach and encourage them.

A big part of being a doctor is solving problems. First, they diagnose them and then they come up with a treatment plan utilizing the best available medical equipment and techniques to hopefully fix them. But there are these other problems that sometimes arise from the solution because the solution is imperfect. There are issues related to risk factors and inefficiency, but there’s no better way. Until there is. Until engineers of medicine, doctors with degrees in medical technology invent something better, enabling us to live better, longer, healthier lives - within the limits of that invention. Until the next great epiphany, extending our lifespans and raising our expectations.