Medical dramas have been part of the American TV landscape in every decade since household televisions  became commonplace.

We had “Medic” (1950s), “The Doctors“/”The Nurses” (1960s), “Medical Center,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” and “Emergency!” (1970s), “Trapper John, M.D.” and “St. Elsewhere” (1980s), “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and “Chicago Hope” (1990s), and “House M.D.” and “Scrubs” (2000s).

The trend continues to permeate pop culture today through series like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Nurse Jackie.” Even MTV is getting in on the trend, with its new show about traveling nurses called “Scrubbing In” that’s premiering at the end of the month.

And then there are the series that spanned decades, like “General Hospital” (it continues to live on after a record-setting 50 years) and “ER.”

So why does this genre endure, and why does the public love medical dramas so much?  Continue Reading