The Physician sings "The Physician"

I've been a medical student, extern, intern, resident, emergency room attending, diet-doctor, private practice physician, media health-expert, scientific author--and now, just in time for a special birthday, a singer !

"The Art of Medicine", my exploration of poetry and prose on the topics of health, doctors, and related philosophical issues, now turns a new page by opening the Cole Porter songbook. In 1930 the distinguished and witty composer wrote a mock-romantic song for a forgotten musical called "The New Yorkers." He recycled it for "Star Dust" in 1931, but when it appeared in "Nymph Errant" (1933) the song made theater history. You can hear the legendary Gertrude Lawrence sing "The Physician" on a YouTube audio-only recording. Julie Andrews' version in the movie "Star" is beautifully sung, tastelessly staged.

Now it's my turn. After all, as a Yale graduate and a guy, I've got a few things in common with Cole Porter. And who better to grasp the ironies, double-entendres, and musings on the "doctor-patient" relationship represented in "The Physician" than....? I think you see my point.

I first heard the song in 1969 in a revue of forgotten Cole Porter songs, presented by Yale undergradutes and directed by Robert Kimball--the brilliant music-theater historian who is credited with rediscovering one of America's greatest artists. Like the rest of the audience, I was shocked at some of the racy imagery and naughty language--how could these have eluded censorship?

40 years later, I've prepared my own deconstructed version, which I mischievously feel honors Cole Porter's unexpressed intentions (the song is never performed by men, let alone Yale graduates or actual physicians). "The Physician" purportedly describes the plight of a shy patient infatuated by a healthcare practitioner--or does it?

It's showtime !