Lozano, Gayle Marie U.

(BS-ArchitectureII) Understanding the Self

Reaction Paper

PATCH ADAMS

The movie is directed by Tom Shadyac and starred by the

famous actor, Robin Williams. The movie was released year 1998. The
movie was based on a real story of Patch Adams himself. I’ve read the
autobiography of the real Patch Adams. The director just added some
twists to the movie to make it more interesting.

Being a suicidal man, Hunter Adams confined himself in a mental hospital. There, he saw
several people suffering from various mental illnesses. He have observed the way of the doctors’
treatment to the patients. He wasn’t satisfied by the medical care and with the help of his co-
patients, he realized and found his purpose. He wanted to improve the practice of medicine
through his own way. He enrolled in a prestigious university and studied medicine. Patch Adams
saw the pain in the patient’s eyes while he visits the hospital which urge him to do something
about it. He used his humor and built connection with the patients. He believed that it is also
important to improve the quality of life than just delaying death. So with the help of some of his
friends, even they still haven’t had the MD title, they founded a non-profit hospital which aims to
help people who cannot afford the hospital bills.

Patch Adams is one of the best movie that I’ve watched. As a child, I have never been
confined into a hospital so I can’t really tell how it feels to be there, lying on the bed all day and
being isolated in a room, waiting for the doctors and nurses, giving you several medicines and
being impaled with needles. But I have tried to stay in a hospital when my mother and some
relatives were hospitalized. Connection with the patients is a vital role of the people in the
medical field. It makes their patients more comfortable and reduces their worries. I appreciated
the movie even though the concept was far from the field that I am studying. The movie built up
my interest in learning more about medicine.