Jennifer's idealization of Sir Colenso and his colleagues arises from her fear of loss, which is part of being mortal, but Sir Colenso dangerously confuses her desperate hope with romantic love. I believe the tragic element resides in the way each character unavoidably contributes to the follies of the medical system. Sir Patrick is unfazed. In Shaw's era, questioning the authority of the medical profession came close to blasphemy. In this way, The Doctor's Dilemma was revolutionary.
Patients are no longer helpless petitioners but active consumers.
Shaw would see this as replacing one form of folly with another. Ultimately, the dilemma of how we should assuage our fears of mortality remains as vexing today as it did at the first performance of The Doctor's Dilemma . Dr. James Sabin is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of the ethics program at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.