5 Favorites- fictional Doctors

I was reading in a book where two men were trying to defuse a bomb when finally one said in exasperation, "Confound it... I am a doctor, not an explosives expert!" If you are old enough you probably thought, as I did, of Dr. McCoy. The doctor speaking however, was Dr. Watson of Sherlock Holmes fame. I believe the author, William Seil, threw that bit in for us Trekkers (more grounded than Trekkies). This got me to thinking about fictional doctors and hence the impetus for this blog. Here, in random order, are my 5 favorite fictional doctors.

1. Dr. John Watson, M.D., friend and biographer of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. If the only Watson you have seen is Nigel Bruce in the movies you DON'T know Watson. Not that I blame Bruce for the scripts he was given- just not accurate to the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. An intelligent man in his own right, he was the perfect friend and sounding board for Holmes.

2. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, M.D., played to perfection by DeForest Kelly in the original Star Trek (and respectfully followed up by Karl Urban in the latest movie) Bones is the quintessential fish-out-of-water, an old-fashioned country doctor in outer space. The trio of Spock-Kirk-Bones is one of the finest friendships where no man has gone before.

3. Victor Von Doom, the greatest anti-hero or villain in the comics. The monarch of Latveria, arch-nemesis of the "so-called Fantastic Four" and one of the greatest minds in the Marvel Universe. Complex and cunning Doom is always an entertaining read. See the blog www.doomwithoutgloom.blogspot.com for more on the "good" Doctor.

4. Clark Savage, Jr. otherwise known as Doc Savage is an adventurer from the age of pulp magazines that has survived a horribly written film, so-so stories and countless villains. With the help of his five aides/friends whom he calls "brothers" the Man of Bronze is an actual surgeon, scientist, and expert in many fields who has dedicated his life to fighting injustice. My daughter would be upset if I didn't mention his cousin, Pat Savage, who appears in several of the 120 plus stories.

5. Jeffrey Geiger, Heart doctor. He was House before Gregory House was invented. Smug, arrogant and oh so talented. I recommend watching the first season of Chicago Hope and perhaps the second if you don't believe me. ER and Hope debuted the same year and ER swept the Emmys except for Mandy Patinkin (Geiger) winning over Anthony Edwards portrayal of Dr. Mark Greene. I still remember George Clooney whining about that. Once Mandy Patinkin left the cast Chicago Hope was doomed though it retained many fine actors.