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May 14, 2008

"There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this playfulness or the playfulness flows from the equanimity; and they can persuade other people who are in a state of agitation to calm down and manage a smile." --Edward Hoagland

Playing Doctor: Interview with Patch Adams

Patch Adams first became famous within medical circles, and then to the rest of the world, as a doctor in clown's clothing, a social activist who uses humor and his medical training to advocate for a more humane, affordable, and even playful health care system. Shortly after graduating from medical school in the early 1970s, he founded what would become the Gesundheit Institute, which started as a free medical practice operating out of his own home in Virginia. It has since evolved into a far-reaching and multi-faceted nonprofit; among its programs are humanitarian clowning trips, which Adams has lead for more than 20 years, taking people dressed in full clown costume to hospitals, orphanages, and prisons around the world. In this interview from Greater Good Adams shares his views on medicine and play.