Igor Barrère and Étienne Lalou's medical programme: from surgical prowess to the doctor's everyday life
Une autre médecine : le médecin généraliste (Médicales, 1974, 02:47)The medical program is the first health program on Radio Télédiffusion Française. Its life on the small screen is remarkably long: broadcast from 1956, it lasts until 1984. The intention of its creator, Igor Barrère, is to democratize medical discourse, open medicine to patients, hospital staff, professionals, show the progress of medicine and surgery. The first shows focus on surgical firsts and technological innovations. Over time, the inspiration of the content evolves, new themes appear: psychoanalysis, mental illness, birth control, family medicine (with the figure of the country doctor). The subjects resonate with new concerns within society. Returning to the adventure of the Mediales, Igor Barrère said in 1989: “Medical programs have become an institution. We started when medicine was still seen as witchcraft. Today, the world of doctors remains terrifying and fascinating. We have respected this myth, we have also helped to demystify it. »
