Physicians are the cobblers, rather the botchers, of men's bodies; as the one patches our tattered clothes, so the other solders our diseased flesh.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Doctors repair the body like cobblers repair clothes, often just patching problems rather than curing them perfectly.
- In plain terms
- Medicine often fixes symptoms temporarily instead of restoring health completely.
- What can you take from it?
- Medical care is often about management rather than perfect cures.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is medicine a repair job or a restoration?
- How do we define a successful treatment?
Another view
It overlooks modern medicine's ability to achieve true cures in many cases.
More from John (dramatist) Ford
Flattery Is monstrous in a true friend.
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