The imagery of physician stress, impairment, and burnout is ubiquitous, especially in our current political moment. But what if I told you that there was striking visual iconography, stemming from the 1960s onwards, if not earlier? A historical thread...

Exhibit A: Martha Lear, "The Unhappy Baby Doctors," McCalls (1963): 77-79. From early 1960 to 1980s, a cohort of doctors identified themselves as suffering from "disgruntled pediatrician syndrome." Lollipops, gender politics, and clinical tedium.

Exhibit B: “The Wounded Healers: A Conversation with John Henry Pfifferling,” Medical Self Care (Fall 1980): 4-9. The image of doctor as Atlas, being overwhelmed by forces of sexism, elitism, depression, and chronic burnout.

Exhibit C: John F. Halenar, “Doctors Don’t Have to Burnout,” Medical Economics 58 (October 1981): 148-161. Physician as a wax candle, on the brink of being extinguished...

Remember when you see another image of a doctor slumped in a hallway, don't forget about this visual archive! And also observe, who is not being depicted; gotta love "Golden Age" depictions of white male doctors. #MedTwitter #histmed #burnout

Ooops, here's Exhibit B.

Perhaps of interest @meekslisa @justinbullock @drjessigold ?

@jbullockruns @CoherenceMed