Knock or triumph of medicine

See also: Knock

Knock or the Triumph of medicine is a Play of Jules Romains of 1923, played initially by Louis Jouvet.

Having chosen to leave Saint-Maurice to settle in more a big city (Lyon in fact) with his wife, Doctor Parpalaid decides to leave his place to Knock, young forty year old doctor. During the way towards Saint-Maurice, Knock questions Parpalaid about the city, requiring in turn if the village contains misled sects, drug addicts, husbands or some epidemics that and there. It is also learned that Knock must of the money in Ravachol that this last lent to him to settle.

The result of the conversation hardly likes Knock, for which the customers of which he inherits is “null”.

As of its arrival at the village, Knock calls the drum of the village to make announce its arrival and the introduction of free consultations Monday. In parallel, he asks the teacher, Bernard, to inform people well on what are the microbes, germs and virus, and discusses with Mousquet pharmacist, who confirms that Parpalaid sent few customers well to him.

The success of the free consultations is phenomenal and Knock is quickly overflowed. It founds the first long life treatments while carrying out investigations on its customers in order not to make pay poor people expensive.

The hotel of the village becomes a true private clinic where the patients come from the four corners of the canton come to follow the treatments of long life that Knock orders.

Three months after its arrival, Knock receives the visit of Parpalaid come to take news. This last is deafened by the impressive figures presented by Knock, and the part is finished on a discussion between Parpalaid and Knock where this last fact a little morals with his/her colleague.

Quotations

quite bearing people are patients who are unaware of themselves (Knock or Triumph of medicine, of Jules Romains).
let us not confuse. Does that tickle you, or is what that you gratouille? (Knock or Triumph of medicine, Jules Romans).

Context

This part is a comedy written in 1923, at one time when the influence of intensive publicity on the model of On the other side of the Atlantic starts to gain Europe. The idea to apply it to the field of medicine concerned the comic effect then.

Characters

Doctor Knock
Doctor Parpalaid
Mrs Parpalaid
Mousquet
Bernard
the drum of city
first guy
second guy
Scipion
Jean
Mrs Rémy
the lady in black
the lady purple
good the
Voice of Mariette, with the cantonade

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