MountainMornings

We’ve been visiting doctors lately. One gentlemanly Southern doctor in a bow tie plopped his black Doctor’s Bag down on the desk and introduced himself. He was young, meaning maybe 30 something, and I was surprised enough to mention his old-school bag. 

He pulled out the tools of his trade and did the most complete physical exam I’d ever seen in my life. Lots of hammering for reflex checks. Lots of listening via stethoscope. 

I’m not sure Bob ever carried a doctor bag per se. He always carried an old fashioned, beat up brown leather briefcase. Not as snazzy as DeNiro’s vintage case in The Intern, but just as efficient.

Bob carried lots of paper back in the day since he’s been an ED director for much of his working life. He remembers when he could no longer find his Mad Men briefcase in any store after using and abusing the original till it fell apart. That, he tells me, was a sad pre-Internet time! 

Today, in a small black duffle bag you’d find his iPad. The stethoscope still holds a place of prominence, but so does a Mophi for charging devices. This old duffle is getting threadbare. I asked him what most young doctors are carrying these days, and he told me backpacks. 

I was all set to get Bob a backpack – something with gravitas if possible – when we saw DeNiro pull his calculator out of his briefcase, right before trying to turn on his laptop. I laughed, didn’t he know there’s a calculator in his phone? Then I saw his flip phone. Later in the film, one of his younger colleagues found a sweet ancient briefcase on eBay.

So now I’m all about that Google search for a new briefcase. I know some hipsters carry old WWII messenger bags slung across their chests. And obviously some young docs have kept the mystique of the Doctor’s Bag alive, but there’s just something very 007 about the standard leather briefcase with a nice lock under the handle. Don’t you agree?   

Notice the handsome Darth Vader neck brace and the minimalist desk. Notice the body posture. Welcome back Doc!