The Far Side featured a number of hilarious jokes about doctors during its publication period, while Gary Larson skillfully undermined the seriousness typically associated with the medical profession. In your fictional world upside down, The doctors were among the most outrageous characters and appeared in some of Larson’s most notable panels.
Not just doctors, but also dentists, optometrists and, of course, surgeons, were all at the center of several wickedly funny encounters. Far Side cartoons over the years that have used the public’s mixed feelings about the medical field as a springboard for some striking jokes.
Coupled with the frequent appearance of scientists throughout The Far SideDoctors were perhaps the career Larson most satirized, although, surprisingly, his medical humor was never in danger of becoming stale, as he remained continually inventive until his retirement.
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The other side makes going to the dentist even scarier (where did she get her degree?)
First published: February 28, 1994
The Far Side was filled with memorable monster moments, and this cartoon cleverly combines Gary Larson’s penchant for drawing monsters with his penchant for mocking doctors. In that case, a boy sitting in the waiting room of the dentist’s office is told that he can enter the office of “Mrs. Llewellyn” – a monstrous figure in a white coat, smiling mischievously through the exam room’s glass dooras she examines what appears to be a disembodied head.
This is an example of Larson’s great ability to take a familiar scenario and take it to its noisy extreme; As if a visit to the dentist wasn’t enough to make a child restless, here, “Bobby” must also face the terrifying reality that his oral hygiene is about to be examined by an inhumane creature.
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The least qualified doctors on the other side were often the funniest (shouldn’t he take off Sir Dwayne’s armor?)
First published: November 11, 1993
The Far Side Doctors’ jokes were routinely based on the premise that they were less qualified than the patient would be comfortable with—and often, their bedside manner was far from ideal. This cartoon is a great example of this, as Gary Larson portrays a knight suffering from multiple bee stings, after a bee gets stuck in his armor, However, his doctor expresses no urgency when it comes to alleviating his suffering, instead placing his ear against his chest.Mr Dwayne” and watching, “If I hit him right here, I might make him start buzzing… oh, and he’s angry!“
Naturally, the doctor’s behavior will likely result in more stings for Sir Dwayne, as instead of removing his armor and immediately treating the wounds, this doctor remains fixated on his own curiosity when it comes to his patient’s peculiar condition.
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The other side depicts a classic surgeon’s prank (are readers supposed to sympathize with the patient?)
First published: January 26, 1993
In this Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson gives readers a peek into the operating room – where a group of surgeons burst into laughter, after “Carlton falls for the old rubber scalpel joke,“Trying to cut the patient on the table, only for the blade to deflect away from his body.
The Far Side humor has always been a matter of perspective, and although the joke here is based on the idea of surgeons acting incredibly unprofessionally, most readers will empathize with the patient on the table, at least to some extent. However, rather than undermining the panel’s conclusion, this emphasizes it; only by evoking the gravity of a situation like surgery can Larson truly bring the humor to this cartoon land.
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This character on the other side waited too long for a check-up (how bad can the evil eye be?)
First published: April 2, 1992
In this laugh Far Side cartoon, an optometrist diagnoses his patient with “corneal corruption,” or “evil eye;“ while one of “Mr. Gruenfeld’s” eyes is perfectly normal, the other is enlarged, yellow, and has an angry-looking slit in place of a pupil.
What makes this comic especially funny, though, is the way Gary Larson describes the ophthalmologist as being genuinely excited about the arrival of a patient with “evil eye.” “Oh, this is wonderful…” exclaims the doctor, his professional interest outweighing any attempt to offer support to the patient as the man processes the news about his health. As always, this Far Side The doctor’s joke is aimed squarely at the optometrist himself, and once again, readers will have at least some sympathy for the poor patient.
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Gary Larson pulled no punches with his “Hospitals for Horses” panel (is this the doctor on the other side’s darkest joke?)
First published: May 17, 1991
The Far Side the humor was often dark, especially when Gary Larson looked at the inequalities of the relationship between humans and animals, and this is perhaps the most potent example of that. Subtitled “horse hospitals“, two equine patients with broken legs look around nervously as doctors pace back and forth carrying clipboards in one hand and rifles under the other arms.
Behind a curtain beside them, the “BLAM“of a rifle reports, and it becomes clear that these two horses are next. As dark as the joke is, it also makes clear Larson’s frequent point about the inherent inhumanity of how people treat animals, in this case considering how racehorses with broken legs are traditionally dismissed and placed in a human context.
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The other side approaches a werewolf (what medical options do Bob and Frank have?)
First published: February 25, 1991
In this particularly funny Far Side cartoon, two conjoined twins sit together in the doctor’s office, with one of them covered in cuts and scratches, his arm in a sling, as he explains that his brother Frank is a werewolf. This absurd joke appears to result from Gary Larson asking a “And if?” question – that is, ask “what if one Siamese twin suffered from lycanthropy but the other did not?” – and then determining that a doctor’s office was the perfect location to turn this flight of fantasy into a fully realized panel.
Here, the doctor in question is primarily a source of exposition, with the humor coming from the unfortunate fact that Bob must endure his brother’s transformations, during which he is naturally the most obvious and available human target.
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Gary Larson satirizes elective surgery with an unusual comic strip (Why Does Farmer Brown Want a Skinny Pig?)
First published: January 29, 1991
Without a doubt, this is one of the The Far Side most absurd doctor jokes; subtitled “the growing field of animal liposuction“, a plastic surgeon carries a skinny pig to”Mr. Brown“in the waiting room, reminding you”she will be a little sore for a few weeks, but that’s normal.”
This panel is ridiculous from premise to execution and is sure to leave many readers looking for more context for the story behind this joke, whether there is one or not. The Far Side often forced readers to confront questions raised by his cartoons, many of which lacked evident answers, and that is the case here, as the “what” and “how” of this comic are immediately replaced by the “why” what?”
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The diagnosis no bird wants to hear (is there a cure for being stuffed?)
First published: January 21, 1991
In another strange but hilarious Far Side cartoon, a turkey named “Mrs. Griswold” is told by her doctor that she “body cavity is filled with a tasty, bread-like substance.” Of course, the humor derives from the idea that being stuffed is a condition, not an end point – although the way Doctor Turkey describes it as “bad news” suggests that there is unlikely to be a simple solution to her problem.
Once again, this panel shows the intelligence that permeated The Far Side; Gary Larson takes something that most readers would take for granted, a stuffed bird, and makes it a living character who has gone to the doctor in search of a cure. The result is that at least one Far Side Reader over the years have probably hesitated when it came to Thanksgiving dinner thanks to this memorable comic strip.
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The Far Side origin story for a Three Stooges favorite (So Curly was always like this?)
First published: December 7, 1990
In a reference to slapstick comedy legends the Three Stooges, Gary Larson portrays Curly’s mother having an ultrasound while he does his characteristic “wow wow” noiserevealing that the character’s classic humorous style began in the womb.
For fans of the Three Stooges, this cartoon is sure to raise a smile, while those who don’t get the reference will be left scratching their heads, asking “What?“Rather than treating the birth process as a mystery, or a miracle, Larson pokes fun at it here, but in the lightest way possible. Again, this joke goes back to the author wondering what it would be like if Goofy’s behavior were a product of nature , instead of nurturing a comedic routine.
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These veterans on the other side stink (is this the funniest cartoon about surgery on the other side?)
First published: November 23, 1990
The Far Side excelled at capturing a singular moment in time, something that is apparent here, as Gary Larson offers a freeze frame of the action as a group of vets scatter, after “the first skunk smell removal operation“it goes wrong. Hilariously, a veterinarian shouts “Johnson, you idiot! You set the damn thing up! She’s going to explode!“as if the skunk were a bomb, which, when coupled with the hilarious expressions of terror on the faces of the Far Side characters, makes this an all-time great comic book.
By reducing the risks of the operation in question, Larson is able to deliver a joke without any undercurrent of pathos, so readers’ reactions should be one of unabashed laughter when they encounter this classic. Far Side panel on former medical professionals.