Well lets get this show on
the road. So I was reading the Part 3 of One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
and I was a little concerned, for lack of a better word, near the end. I first
noticed it when the men are on their way to the coast for the fishing
expedition, then later once they got onto the boat, and finally on their return
trip. What I'm talking about is the use of alcohol the patients of a mental
institution who are also on powerful medication.
Whenever I read the back
of a medicine bottle, or the back of an energy drink for that matter, I'm
presented with a warning to "Not consume with alcohol". So if this is
the case, how could a professional in medicine, The Doctor who accompanied them
on this trip, allow for this to happen? It's ridiculous to think that someone
could simply say, "Oh ya, its ok that this mental patient, who suffers
from epilepsy and takes medication to curb the seizures, should be allowed to
drink on a boat in the middle of the ocean". It just doesn't make any
sense to me how something like this could go unchecked.
I'm not a medical
professional, but even back when this was written in the 60's, there must have
been some sort of evidence showing these drugs could be dangerous if consumed
with alcohol. For The Doctor to allow this to happen, especially with the
possible psychopath McMurphy, who ended up in jail for fighting at bars, is mind-boggling.
Then he lets them get so drunk McMurphy ends up falling off the dock twice. The
best part is after these incidents, The Doctor allows him to drive. I know that
the drinking and driving laws were nothing like what they are today, but even
back then would it make sense to allow a mental patient that drunk to drive?
Either way, they caught some nice fish and nobody
fell off the boat, and hey, McMurphy even got laid, so I guess it was a good
day overall lol. I don't know where this doctor got his degree, but I bet it
was from the same school Dr. Nick from The Simpsons got his. I can no longer
think of The Doctor as a weak man who can't stand up to Nurse Ratched, but as
an idiot too stupid to be able to have his own ideas so he just lets Big Nurse
tell him what to do like he's a lemming. Anyways, that’s my blog for this week
so I hope you like it. So good morning, and if I don't see ya, good afternoon,
good evening, and goodnight.
I think you bring up a valid point about the whole issue with alcohol in the 60's. This can also instigate another huge question about the medical attention that the patients were getting in that point in time. Maybe your example demonstrates the complete lack of unprofessionalism in the medical field in that time era. Staff, visitors and patients were allowed to smoke in hospitals; it was perfectly acceptable at that point in time. Isn't it ironic that item that is extremely deadly in so many ways was allowed in the hospitals!? They were also using EST (Electro-Shock Therapy) like you mentioned in your earlier post. Wouldn't that have some sort of detrimental effect on their mental and physical well-being? Yet it was perfectly condoned by many different medical professionals at the time, if not encouraged as a means of curing people with mental illness. I don't think the doctor was incompetent, I believe that he was simply uneducated as to the effects that combining drugs and alcohol may have had on the individuals under his care. There were probably also not warnings on the labels of the medication, as they were administering a cocktail of drugs to these individuals. Just like there weren't warnings on cigarette packages for a long period of time, even though people eventually discovered smoking was bad for their health. If the doctor was indeed educated about all of these things, then maybe he was just at a point where he didn't care anymore and wanted to enable the patients to do as they please, considering he wasn't able to do that 95 percent of the time. Which if you ask me is completely irresponsible when you are the one holding the medical degree and licence.
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck was that Tyler!
ReplyDeleteWe now know that medication and alcohol mixed together is bad, but then they knew nothing of the sore. They used to say a smoke and drink a day kept the doctor away, and even doctors themselves drink and smoke like chain smoker in their office while seeing their patients. Drinking and drink wasn’t illegal yet, yell they didn’t even have a way to prove you were drunk back in the sixties. So i guess i complete disagree with you they doctor wasn’t a idiot just ball less. He or the whole medical community for that matter didn’t know better about mixing drugs and alcohol together, the only thing i would kind of understand is the whole thing of being patients of a insane asylum meaning unstable people. For mcmurphy that driving home that wasn’t out of the normal in the sixties, example my remember my grandparents talking about the good old booze curses they used to do( drinking in the car and the driver too!) put a whole new meaning to drunk driving/drinking and driving! Tyler you must of heard of vodka and rockstar or a jaguar bomb! You’re from midland too its one off the few drinks bleachers serves other than beer. O and for the drinking on the boat instanced, it’s still legal today pervaded you have a toilet and anchor. In conclusion although your argument is valid today its not so much so in the sixties despite the fact it’s common sense.
Hey man! I like your blog entry, its funny and an original topic to write about regarding part 3 of the book. I do think though that you seriously underestimate the lack of information we knew in the 1960’s regarding medication. Pills for mental health at this time were just being introduced I’m pretty sure. There probably weren’t many studies on the long term effects of these drugs, or with what other medications or substances they interact with. Not to mention were never told what drugs these guys are on, it’s not farfetched to believe that they could have all been on drugs that don’t interact poorly with alcohol. Even now, and I know this may sound bad, but, sometimes these warning labels on these drugs are just recommendations. Unless it specifically says mixing your prescription and alcohol could kill you I don’t think it’s too big of a deal, it may just reduce the effectiveness of the drug.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the doctor I do agree with you that he’s being irresponsible and not the best doctor in the world. I think this has to do with him not being the one in power really though. McMurphy has gained control of the situation and has shown to everyone that he is the leader. The doctor is under the spell of McMurphy just as much as the patients. I think his common sense has kind of been thrown out the window and he’s just following the lead of McMurphy at this point.
Cool blog though man! Keep it up!
Austin