The politics have always been difficult in medicine. There is

When Barry Marshall proclaimed, “The politics have always been difficult in medicine. There is some truth in the way medical practice is portrayed in TV dramas,” he spoke not only of hospitals and doctors, but of the timeless struggle between knowledge and power, truth and authority, healing and ambition. His words remind us that medicine, though clothed in the garments of science, has always been entangled in the struggles of pride, rivalry, and human frailty. It is not merely about curing disease; it is about navigating the complex realm where healing meets hierarchy, and where compassion wrestles with ambition.

The politics of medicine are as old as the art itself. In ancient Greece, rival schools of healing—the followers of Hippocrates and those of other traditions—contested not only for patients, but for prestige. In the courts of kings, physicians were not judged only by their skill, but by their favor with rulers. Even today, as Marshall himself experienced when he and Robin Warren discovered the role of bacteria in ulcers, new truths must fight their way through walls of skepticism, jealousy, and entrenched power. Medicine is never free of politics, for wherever knowledge brings power, the struggle for influence arises.

When Marshall speaks of TV dramas, he does not mean that every tale of intrigue and rivalry on the screen is literal truth. Rather, he acknowledges that the exaggerations of art reflect real currents within the medical world. The jealousies between colleagues, the disputes over methods, the competition for recognition, the heavy weight of bureaucracy—all these are drawn from life itself. What we see dramatized for entertainment has roots in the real struggles of those who fight for knowledge, for healing, and for their place in history.

Consider the tale of Ignaz Semmelweis, the 19th-century physician who discovered that hand-washing could drastically reduce deaths in maternity wards. His discovery was simple, elegant, and lifesaving. Yet because it threatened the pride and habits of established doctors, he was mocked, resisted, and ultimately broken by rejection. The politics of medicine crushed him, though his truth later saved countless lives. His story could be told as a tragedy on any stage, and it would not be far from the dramas Marshall alludes to.

The deeper meaning of Marshall’s words lies in the recognition that medicine is both a science and a human drama. Patients may believe that truth alone governs treatment, but behind the white coats lie debates, rivalries, alliances, and the ever-present struggle for resources and authority. These politics are not always noble, yet they shape the practice of healing as much as knowledge does. To recognize this is not to despair, but to see the full picture: medicine is both an art of the body and a battlefield of ideas and egos.

For us, the lesson is profound. In every field, not only medicine, politics entwines itself with practice. Wherever human beings gather—in universities, in governments, in businesses, in families—there will be rivalry, pride, and struggle. But truth, though resisted, endures. The duty of those who seek to do good is to hold fast, to persevere through opposition, to stand for what is right even when it is unpopular. For the healer, this means putting compassion before pride, and the patient’s good above political intrigue.

Practical wisdom follows: when you encounter politics in your own life—whether in the workplace, in community, or even in family—do not be surprised. Expect resistance, expect rivalry. But do not abandon your integrity. Learn to navigate with patience, with strategy, with resilience. Hold to your purpose, as Marshall held to his discovery, even when mocked or doubted. In time, truth and persistence will outlast intrigue, and your work will bear fruit.

Thus, Barry Marshall’s words stand as both warning and encouragement. Medicine, like all human endeavors, is not free of drama, but this drama does not erase its nobility. Rather, it challenges each healer, each seeker of truth, to rise above politics and hold fast to principle. Let us then walk our own paths with courage, knowing that beyond rivalry lies healing, beyond politics lies truth, and beyond struggle lies the triumph of perseverance.