Docteur Quinn, femme médecin

I am really taken aback that the only comment I see so far for this excellent show is entirely negative and dismissive. I feel compelled to set the record straight. The commentator dismisses the show for, among other things, anachronistic historical inaccuracy, as well as politically correct emotional sterility.

That is ridiculous. This was a wonderful show. The episodes were certainly not all the same. It dealt with many issues that are politically and socially relevant. It presented emotionally gripping drama, with different points of view, especially including compassionate consideration of the plight of native American people. It reminded me very much of the show Kung Fu, which is set during the same period in American history, the 1870s, and also had similar themes of pacifism, labor militancy, feminism, the plight of native Americans as well as the Chinese immigrants. (In actuality, David Carradine himself, a good friend of the Director and Seymour's husband, James Keatch (brother to Stacy Keatch, who appeared in one episode as President Ulysses Grant), appears in one of the episodes. The Keatches and the Carradines go back at least to the time when both families did the movie on the Younger-James gang.)

This show won an AWARD from the Smithosonian institution, hardly a left-wing bastion of political correctness, for its portrayal of the massacre of the Cheyenne at Washita. Its portrayal of the history of the persecution and genocide of the native Americans, by such notorious b******s as Chivington and Custer, was meticulously researched. Its show on Walt Whitman is a case in point as a study of actual attitudes, scientific as well as popular, toward homosexuality, during this period.

The show presented well the CENTRAL cultural conflict in American history, as portrayed by such authors as Leslie Fiedling (LOVE AND DEATH IN THE AMERICAN NOVEL) and Richard Slotkin (RESURRECTION THROUGH VIOLENCE): between the murderous drive to conquer nature and exterminate the "Reds," vs. those, like Dr. Quinn, Sully, and their family, who seek, then as now, to make peace with their fellow human beings and the natural environment.

The show emphasized the value of an emotionally, politically, and socially complex community, with its racial and ethnic hierarchies which Doctor Quinn continually challenged, and its emotional intimacies among men and women. Absolutely historically accurate!

Last but certainly not least, the romantic aspects of the show: the growing romance between Dr. Quinn and Byron Sully, her adopted son Matthew and first Ingrid, and then the prostitute (what was her name?), and between her daughter. Caroline, and the Doctor, Andrew, were great: as was the portrayal of Matthew's coming of age as first the non-violent sheriff of the town, and then as a budding attorney.

Please, if you have never seen this show before, do not be dissuaded by the previous commentator. Check it out-you'll be doing yourself a big favor. This is one of the best shows ever made for television!

People need to relax their standards a bit. No one in their right mind expects fiction to be historically accurate at all times.

However, it must be said that, more often than not, the time line was appropriate for many of the events portrayed.

A reviewer mentioned that the pacifist ideals of Dr. Mike were highly unusual for the time. Indeed. That is why, perhaps, she (and Sully) are often the only ones who held those pacifist views, where as most of the townsfolk in the show wanted to have a hanging every chance they got. There were peace-loving people back then. Had there not been, every single Native American would be wiped out, slavery would have continued undeterred, and women would have been denied the right to vote... to name only a few examples.

As for women not going to college back then? Nonsense. It was not as common then as it is today, obviously, but it did occur. Please, do a google search on "Medical College of Pennsylvania, Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania", which opened in 1850 and was the first female medical college in the world. It does not require a huge stretch of the imagination to suppose that a graduate from such a school would have been progressive, and might have found herself practicing medicine on the American frontier.

As for the show, I love it. I found the Season 4 DVDs in my local book store, and now have seasons 1-3. I watched the show when it was brand new in the early 90's, but stopped at season 2 because my husband and I got stationed in Asia and it was unavailable there. It's been a pleasure becoming reacquainted with Dr. Mike, Sully, and all of the people of Colorado Springs.

We normally don't watch TV, as there is nothing on worth watching. It is so refreshing to be able to watch good television with my kids. I recommend this show whole-heartedly.

Okay,

If you miss "Little House on the Prairie" you'll like this series.

Men like it for Jane Seymour. An ageless beauty who is as articulate as she is beautiful. She never goes out of style.

Women like it, because Jane plays a doctor in an era where women weren't supposed to leave the home.

Joe Lando plays a likeable character. Good hearted but cool.

Of course with all good things they pulled the plug on this show.

It is a sad day when programs produced for general family viewing are so few and far between. However, it is comforting to know that Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman joins the ranks of great family programming. One of my favorite episodes is 'Just One Lullaby', which depicts the thin line between school discipline and abuse. I did not agree with the way in which the teacher 'got a taste of her own medicine' toward the end of the episode, but it proved the adage that 'what goes around, comes around'.

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman may just go down in history as a great television classic.

Huzzah for this one.

This was a great series, too bad it was canceled. It was "Little House" of the 90s.

Don't miss Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, the Movie.