For Christmas, A Gift of Laughter

...and a writing and editing break for me

Dec 26, 2025

I’ve collected New Yorker cartoons about medicine for decades. More recently, unable to dodge the digital content fed to me on every screeen, I’ve collected ones that make me happy. I’m a little hesitant to share these as humor is so idiosyncratic but, I expect at least most Sensible Medicine readers will like most of them.

This first one is the only one I actually use clinically. I occasionally give it to people who I know will appreciate it, when I first prescribe a Neti-Pot, or when someone tells me how addicted to sinus rinses they are. The fact that the video is restricted and can only be watched on YouTube makes it even funnier. (Remember, always use sterile water!)

I haven’t watched Saturday Night Live for years, but their videos often get me laughing. This one came out in November of 2022, and it just felt good to finally be able to laugh about COVID.

An SNL video about colon cancer screening? It seems like this was practically made for Sensible Medicine. The fact that the neti pot video is restricted, and this one is not, says something about the YouTube censors.

There are a lot of medical student videos out there. For me, they range from amateurish but sweet to absolutely cringeworthy. I like to think that this was one of the first and remains best (and not just because it is Pritzker students and it advertises our textbook).

Ever since someone explained to me that internists are called fleas because they are the last ones off a dying dog — it was another era of humor — I have loved jokes that make fun of my field. Here are a few that do an especially good at it, first inpatient medicine rounds.