The Marcus Welby Fantasy Lives in the Past

Many people fantasize about having a folksy doctor like Marcus Welby, M.D. An idealized physician, Dr. Welby didn’t have to worry about malpractice insurance, co-payments, political agendas, interference by government agencies, or bureaucratic matters of any kind. He could be fully present for his patients.

Dr. Welby was a fictional character. Robert Young, the actor who portrayed him, may have convinced us that Dr. Welby was real, and it wasn’t all that difficult for television viewers to suspend disbelief. During the 1970s, when the show aired, many of us had a doctor similar to Dr. Welby.