House of God author, Samuel Shem and Prof Katharine Watson share thought-provoking takes on Gallows Humor.
Laugh and listen to this captivating take on the different shades of humor in the day-to-day of medicine.

Time Stamps


02:33 Episode preview and Guest Introductions
04:20 Definition of Gallows Humor
07:25 Gallows Humor by Comedians vs Patients vs Physicians


The Good


08:15 Benefits/Functions of Humor in General
11:10  Connection
13:07 Coping/Catharsis
16:22 Resistance Against Oppression
19:03 Humor as our Authenticity/Humanity


The Bad, The Ugly


21:01 Unintended Audiences (e.g., patients, families)
25:30 “Corporeal” Joking
28:00 Toxic Role Modeling
31:10 Desensitization/Losing Empathy
Tips, Takeaways & Conclusion33:48 Challenging Inappropriate Jokes
35:45 Excessive Gallows Humor:  Signal of Distress?
37:17 Using Gallows Humor: Questions to Ask Yourself
38:40 Keeping the Faith!




41:11 Excerpt from Man’s 4th Best Hospital by Samuel Shem


Transcript and References
Tag: medical humanities, medical ethics, CoreIM, IMCore