Which Doctor Did You See? Trivia Quiz

"Dr Kildare" had its premiere on the 28th of September in 1961 and ran for 5 seasons ending in 1966. This was not the origin of the character, however. He was first created in the 1930s in magazine stories and novels by author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. He was then portrayed in a radio series and a nine movie series from 1938 - 1942.

The TV series starred Richard Chamberlain as Kildare, an intern at a large metropolitan hospital called Blair General. The series was initially focused on the medical staff and the diagnosis of medical conditions, but after Kildare became a resident in series 3, the focus shifted to the patients and their families.

The writers took great care in researching current medical treatment to ensure the information was factual and realistic. The original writer spent months working with interns at a large hospital and all technical advice was provided by the American Medical Association.

Premiering on the 23rd of September 1979 "Trapper John, M.D." ran for seven seasons ending in 1986. Pernell Roberts played the part of this Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital.

The series is based on the young Trapper John who worked as a surgeon in Korea in the 1970s TV Series "M*A*S*H". This series begins 28 years after his discharge. The premiere shows a dream sequence with some photos and video taken from the original show, but other references are very rare.

Trapper is a mentor for the younger doctors, particularly young Dr 'Gonzo' Gates, and is generally a good role model but occasional glimpses of the old Trapper who used to fight the system is seen when he breaks 'established hospital procedures' for the benefit of his patients.

"St Elsewhere" began on the 26th of October 1982 and finished in 1988 giving it a 6-year run. The series is set in St Eligius Hospital in Boston and portrays an old, decaying teaching hospital. The series name was a slang term used by more prestigious hospitals when referring to badly equipped institutions that treated patients they would not.

The doctors however were not second-rate, the hospital employing some excellent surgeons and diagnosticians. The interns also had more hands-on experience than at other institutions. The show also focused on the personal problems of the medical staff which gave it a more soap opera type of appeal.

This fact actually kept the series running. It was never a particularly high-ranked program but the demographics showed a high viewer rating in the 18 - 35 year age bracket. In the 1980s this was an affluent age group that liked to spend money and TV advertisers were aware of this fact and were willing to pay to gain access to this crowd.

Running for four seasons "Doogie Howser, M.D." began on the 19th of September 1989 and ended in 1993. It focused on the young Douglas 'Doogie' Howser, played by Neil Patrick Harris, as a child prodigy who practices medicine at the Eastman Medical Center in Los Angeles.

According to the introduction Doogie completed high school in 9 weeks, graduated university at 10, and finished medical school at 14. He is blessed with not only genius intellectual abilities but also a photogenic memory.

The show begins on his 16th birthday when he is a second-year surgical resident and focuses on both his personal and professional life as he seeks acceptance from both very different groups. Every show ended with him typing a diary entry into his computer about his experiences and things he had learned.

"ER" was a tour de force in the hospital TV show genre running from its premiere on the 19th of September 1994 to 2009 - 15 years later. It follows the medical staff at Cook County General Hospital in Chicago with its major focus on the Emergency Department.

Michael Crichton wrote the original script in 1974 based on his time as a medical student but couldn't get any producers interested in the project. Twenty years later, it aired with very few variations from the original except for a request that they include both a female and an African American part to reflect the current change of climate.

The show had many changes of staff throughout its time. Some lasted for years while others just for a season. It focused on all levels of medical staff from students to Department Heads and also included nurses and clerical staff.

Crichton was the show's executive producer until his death in 2008, but was still credited throughout the last season.

Beginning on the 23rd of July 2000, "Strong Medicine" ran for six seasons, ending in 2006. It is set at Rittenhouse Hospital in Philadelphia and follows two very different female doctors practising women's health.

We meet the women in the pilot. Dana Stowe already works at Rittenhouse, an upscale hospital with many privileged patients. She is a Harvard graduate, highly ambitious, and is also working on a cure for breast cancer.

Luisa Delgado is a single mother who is running a free medical clinic in the inner-city which is on the verge of financial collapse when the decision is made to combine the two and bring Luisa to Rittenhouse.

The series focuses on the difference between the two doctors' patients and the treatment that they receive based on their very different stations in life. The duality of the cases in each episode is planned so that the contrasts and comparisons can be easily seen.

"Scrubs" began a 9-season run on the 2nd of October 2001, ending in 2010. It is set in the fictional teaching hospital Sacred Heart in Sacramento, California. Unlike the other shows mentioned "Scrubs" is a half-hour sitcom with a unique style of humour that gained it a cult following.

It revolves around a group of three interns at the start of their training and the colleagues and friends that surround them. Its main focus is Dr John Michael 'J.D.' Dorian and most of the shows are seen from his point of view. He has an internal dialogue which is narrated by the character's actor, Zach Braff. J.D. also frequently goes into daydream sequences which are played out for the viewer to see.

The show had several medical advisers both permanent and guest that suggested the medical stories and the show always used their names in some form in the episode. J.D. is based on Dr Jonathon Doris who actually made a cameo in the season 8 finale where he says farewell to J.D.

The show was only planned for those first 8 seasons but they carried on under the subtitled 'Med School' for the last season. Only two characters from the original were permanent throughout it. J.D. only made sporadic appearances.

"House" premiered on the 16th of November 2004 finishing in 2012 after 8 years. It is based in the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey where Dr Gregory House leads a team of three diagnosticians who change throughout the series.

The original premise was to focus on the whole team but the show's creator, David Shore, decided to have an interesting character among the mix and once House had been created the show shifted its focus onto this lead role.

House is a brilliant diagnostician but is rude, obnoxious, and addicted to pain medication. He frequently breaks the hospital's rules and procedural practises to prove his theories which are often based on subtle nuances and his belief that patients always lie.

Shore was a Sherlock Holmes fan and admits to similarities in the characters. Both had no interest in cases that they didn't find interesting, both used deductive reasoning and investigated by elimination techniques. Holmes played the violin perfectly and House the piano, House had his Vicodin addiction while Holmes used Cocaine and both lived at 221B Baker Street.

Premiering on the 30th of September 2015, "Code Black" finished in 2018 after 3 years. Set in the fictitious Angels Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles the series is based on a documentary of the same name by Dr Ryan McGarry who followed the real-life ER in the Los Angeles County General Hospital.

Code Black (US Administration terminology, not medical) refers to a situation in which the hospital's resources including beds, staff, and emergency medical equipment are unable to meet the demands of the patient's needs. Patient safety is severely at risk and at times choices have to be made on who receives lifesaving treatment.

The show mostly focuses on the staff in the ER but does follow up on patients needing surgery. It focuses' on new interns, senior medical staff, and nurses as they strive to meet their patients' needs with a severe lack of resources.

After a premiere on the 25th of September 2018 "New Amsterdam" ran until its 2023 finale after 5 seasons. The series is based on Eric Manheimer's book "Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital". Established in 1736 Bellevue is the country's oldest public hospital and New Amsterdam Hospital is based upon it.

The series follows Dr Max Goodwin as the new medical director who wants to totally reform the old, neglected, and underfunded hospital for both the patients and the staff that work there. Originally unconvinced the staff start to realise that he is prepared to fight the bureaucrats and find innovative ways to make his plans work.

The series is played out amongst his own cancer diagnosis and treatment which he originally fits in around his work but eventually has to take seriously.