The M.D. - Revision history

Eb: /* dangers from father, brother, and son */

2026-07-10T19:46:56Z

dangers from father, brother, and son

Eb: /* strikes down anyone it takes a fancy to */

2026-07-10T19:43:52Z

strikes down anyone it takes a fancy to

Eb: /* What rhymed with "now"? */

2026-07-10T19:20:02Z

What rhymed with "now"?

Eb: /* Oliver North */

2026-07-10T19:14:54Z

Oliver North

Eb: /* priests getting married and women becoming priests */

2026-07-10T19:13:32Z

priests getting married and women becoming priests

Eb: /* Other reading */

2025-02-10T18:15:10Z

Eb: /* Chapter 8 */

2025-01-28T00:02:04Z

Chapter 8

Eb: /* his caduceus is now a symbol of the science of medicine */

2025-01-27T23:54:56Z

his caduceus is now a symbol of the science of medicine

Eb: /* his caduceus is now a symbol of the science of medicine */

2025-01-27T23:54:37Z

his caduceus is now a symbol of the science of medicine

Eb: /* his caduceus is now a symbol of the science of medicine */

2025-01-27T23:53:06Z

his caduceus is now a symbol of the science of medicine

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 === dangers from father, brother, and son ===
-Disch quoted this in an interview as "father, brother, ''or'' son"{{ref Disch SF Eye}}, which makes the pun of "Brother Orson" more explicit. (In the same interview, Disch responded to a suggestion that Brother Orson might also have been named for a fellow SF author, such as the notably right-wing Orson Scott Card, by drily stating, "I can't think of any science fiction figure by that name.") Still, the word is "and" in the first edition of the novel<ref>Thanks to John Stick for confirming this.</ref> as well as the most recent one.
+Disch quoted this in an interview as "father, brother, ''or'' son"{{ref Disch SF Eye}}, which makes the pun of "Brother Orson" more explicit. (In the same interview, Disch responded to a suggestion that Brother Orson might have been named for a fellow SF author—the unspoken implication being  that it was the notably right-wing Orson Scott Card—by drily stating, "I can't think of any science fiction figure by that name.") Still, the word is "and" in the first edition of the novel<ref>Thanks to John Stick for confirming this.</ref> as well as the most recent one.
 In any case, William does in fact face dangers from ''all'' of those: his son Judge and his stepbrother Ned will become significant figures in his downfall, and his dead father Henry contributed supernaturally to Judge's conception (chapter 51) as well as providing an important genetic factor.

@@ Line 180: / Line 180: @@
 === strikes down anyone it takes a fancy to ===
-Lyman is referring to the reason ARVIDS is named as it is: "acute random-vector immune dysfunction syndrome" (see chapter 73). A vector is an organism or substance that carries the disease-causing agent, so this is simply saying that unlike AIDS, there's no known pattern of who gets the new plague, or how.
+Lyman is referring to the reason ARVIDS is named as it is: "acute random-vector immune dysfunction syndrome" (see chapter 73). A vector is an organism that transmits whatever the actual disease-causing agent is, so this is basically saying that the syndrome resembles AIDS but that there's no apparent pattern or mechanism for how it's acquired.
 == Chapter 58 ==

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 === What rhymed with "now"? ===
-Since we never see the words of the curse Billy eventually writes for this purpose, Disch seems to be inviting the reader to guess what this rhyme is from context. Based on the events of chapter 19 when the curse takes effect, a logical conclusion would be that Billy attached the curse to Madge's fifth of vodka in the freezer—although if so, either he didn't do it till later or else it had a long delay, since Madge was able to have a drink with no problem in chapter 18. In any case, I can't think what the rhyme would be.
+Since we never see the words of the curse Billy eventually writes for this purpose, Disch seems to be inviting the reader to guess what this rhyme is from context. Based on the events of chapter 19 when the curse takes effect, a logical conclusion would be that Billy attached the curse to Madge's fifth of vodka in the freezer—although if so, either he didn't do it till later or else it had a long delay, since Madge is able to have a drink with no problem in chapter 18. In any case, I can't think what the rhyme would be.
 == Chapter 21 ==

@@ Line 200: / Line 200: @@
 === Oliver North ===
-Former Marine Lieutenant Colonel {{wp|Oliver North}} was best known for participating in the Reagan administration's illegal arms sales to Iran, covert support of the Nicaraguan Contras, and cover-ups of these actions. His convictions on three related crimes in 1989 were later reversed, and he became a hero to right-wingers who supported Reagan's Central American policies. Disch's idea that North would end up in the US Senate was only a slight exaggeration: North ran for the Senate in 1994, but lost by a three-percent margin.
+Former Marine Lieutenant Colonel {{wp|Oliver North}} was best known for participating in the Reagan administration's illegal arms sales to Iran, covert support of the Nicaraguan Contras, and cover-ups of these actions. His convictions on related crimes in 1989 were later reversed, and he became a hero to right-wingers who supported Reagan's Central American policies. Disch's idea that North would end up in the US Senate was only a slight exaggeration: North ran for the Senate in 1994, but lost by a three-percent margin.
 == Chapter 59 ==

@@ Line 163: / Line 163: @@
 One of the non-technological signs that we are now in a speculative near-future world: a branch of the Catholic Church has split off from Roman authority and embraced many liberal reforms. This will be explored in more detail in the next chapter.
-Disch had been thinking about such a possibility at least 20 years earlier, when he included something similar as a minor detail in the future world of ''[[334]]''. Whether it was ever likely in the real United States is hard to say. During much of the 20th century, the Catholic Church in America was associated with political progressivism in terms of civil rights, class issues, and immigration. In terms of sexuality, it was not; but so many practicing Catholics were more liberal than the Church in that regard that one could easily imagine the hierarchy eventually moving that way too. Instead, from the 1980s onward, anti-abortion politics and backlash to LGBTQ rights created an increasing alliance between Catholics and right-wing Protestants, and the most conservative elements have gained influence in the US as the demographics of the Church have changed.<ref>{{cite article|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/step-back-time-americas-catholic-church-sees-immense-shift-toward-old-ways|title='A step back in time': America's Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways|publication=National Catholic Reporter|date=May 6, 2024|accessed=January 1, 2025}}</ref> It's now arguably more plausible that a US/Rome schism would produce a US Church that is further right than the Pope.
+Disch had been thinking about such a possibility at least 20 years earlier, when he included something similar as a minor detail in the future world of ''[[334]]''. Whether it was ever likely in the real United States is hard to say. During much of the 20th century, the Catholic Church in America was associated with political progressivism in terms of civil rights, class issues, and immigration. In terms of sexuality, it was not; but so many practicing Catholics were more liberal than the Church in that regard that one could easily imagine the hierarchy eventually moving that way too. Instead, from the 1980s onward, anti-abortion politics and backlash to LGBTQ rights created an increasing alliance between Catholics and right-wing Protestants, and the most conservative elements have gained influence in the US as the demographics of the Church have changed.<ref>{{cite article|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/step-back-time-americas-catholic-church-sees-immense-shift-toward-old-ways|title='A step back in time': America's Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways|publication=National Catholic Reporter|date=May 6, 2024|accessed=January 1, 2025}}</ref> It's now arguably more plausible that a US/Rome schism would produce a US Church that is further to the political right than the Pope.
 === a follower of Brother Orson ===

@@ Line 282: / Line 282: @@
 == Other reading ==
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20201025031431/https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-m-d University of Minnesota Press page] for their edition {{InternetArchive|date=October 27, 2020}}
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20180714223451/http://www.ukjarry1.talktalk.net/md.htm Matthew Davis's page] for the book {{InternetArchive|date=July 4, 2018}}
-* [https://www.tor.com/2010/11/09/guided-tour-supernatural-minnesota-md/ Review and discussion] by Ron Hogan on tor.com
+* [https://reactormag.com/guided-tour-supernatural-minnesota-md/ Review and discussion] by Ron Hogan on ''Reactor''
 == Footnotes ==

@@ Line 68: / Line 68: @@
 But there are other reasons for the caduceus to be symbolically appropriate in this book. One is Mercury's association with business, since Billy's adult life will be devoted to amassing not just magical power but also corporate power. Another is the double-snake design; Disch pointed out that this could express "duality and balance, corresponding to the scientific view that for every action there's a reaction"—and that it resembles the double helix of DNA.<ref name="disch-finkle-interview">{{cite article|author=Finkle, David|date=April 19, 1991|title=Thomas M. Disch: versatile and prolific, he has written books
 in nearly every genre|publication=Publishers Weekly|pub-date=Vol. 238, Issue 18}}</ref>
 === his real father ... sold the ''Junior Universe of Knowledge Encyclopedia'' ===

@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 This is true in a way, but the story isn't so straightforward. The traditional medical symbol was for thousands of years, and technically still is, the {{wp|rod of Asclepius}}—similar to the caduceus, but with just one snake and no wings. The {{wp|caduceus as a symbol of medicine}} does have some historical roots, but its widespread adoption didn't really happen until the 20th century, basically by mistake.<ref>{{cite article|author=Garrison, F.H.|title=The use of the caduceus in the insignia of the Army medical officer|url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC234831/?page=1|date=1919|publication=Bulletin of the Medical Library Association|pub-date=9(2):13–16}} The symbol was popularized by the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and in this article the Army medical historian {{wp|Fielding Hudson Garrison|Fielding Garrison}} justified its use to mean that Army medical workers were ''noncombatants''—based on past use of the caduceus as a symbol for a messenger or herald, someone who should have in effect diplomatic immunity. But it's unclear who actually started this usage, and Garrison may have been only guessing as to their rationale; he also mentions that some earlier appearances of the caduceus in medical history have no clear explanation, so you could, if you felt like it, see these as cases of Mercury manipulating people behind the scenes.</ref> Unlike Asclepius, Mercury/Hermes in mythology was not directly associated with healing; his main attributes were as a messenger (often an untrustworthy one), a transporter of dead souls, and a facilitator of commerce, and the caduceus was not even specific to him but was a general accessory for messengers and heralds. If one believed Mercury to be a real entity who's still with us, then the current role of the caduceus in the human imagination could be seen as evidence of his great skill at deceptive self-promotion; that's consistent with the characterizations of both Mercury and Billy in ''The M.D.'', since they're both unscrupulous and acquisitive people who are happy to take credit they don't deserve. Billy often isn't honest with himself either, and maybe the same is true of Mercury, who tells two contradictory stories about the caduceus in Chapter 10 and claims that he can't actually remember which is right.
-But there are other reasons for the caduceus to be symbolically appropriate in this book. One is Mercury's association with business; Billy's adult life will be devoted to amassing not just magical power but also corporate power. Another is the double-snake design; Disch pointed out that this could express "duality and balance, corresponding to the scientific view that for every action there's a reaction"—and that it resembles the double helix of DNA.<ref name="disch-finkle-interview">{{cite article|author=Finkle, David|date=April 19, 1991|title=Thomas M. Disch: versatile and prolific, he has written books
+But there are other reasons for the caduceus to be symbolically appropriate in this book. One is Mercury's association with business, since Billy's adult life will be devoted to amassing not just magical power but also corporate power. Another is the double-snake design; Disch pointed out that this could express "duality and balance, corresponding to the scientific view that for every action there's a reaction"—and that it resembles the double helix of DNA.<ref name="disch-finkle-interview">{{cite article|author=Finkle, David|date=April 19, 1991|title=Thomas M. Disch: versatile and prolific, he has written books
 in nearly every genre|publication=Publishers Weekly|pub-date=Vol. 238, Issue 18}}</ref>

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 === his caduceus is now a symbol of the science of medicine ===
-Although a common belief, this is not quite right: the traditional medical symbol is the somewhat similar {{wp|rod of Asclepius}}, which has only one snake and no wings; the {{wp|caduceus as a symbol of medicine}} developed in the 20th century, by mistake. It's unclear whether Disch himself confused the two, or meant this as another example of Mercury's untrustworthy nature, since in chapter 10 Mercury mentions two contradictory stories about the caduceus.
+This is true in a way, but the story isn't so straightforward. The traditional medical symbol was for thousands of years, and technically still is, the {{wp|rod of Asclepius}}—similar to the caduceus, but with just one snake and no wings. The {{wp|caduceus as a symbol of medicine}} does have some historical roots, but its widespread adoption didn't really happen until the 20th century, basically by mistake.<ref>{{cite article|author=Garrison, F.H.|title=The use of the caduceus in the insignia of the Army medical officer|url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC234831/?page=1|date=1919|publication=Bulletin of the Medical Library Association|pub-date=9(2):13–16}} The symbol was popularized by the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and in this article the Army medical historian {{wp|Fielding Hudson Garrison|Fielding Garrison}} justified its use to mean that Army medical workers were ''noncombatants''—based on past use of the caduceus as a symbol for a messenger or herald, someone who should have in effect diplomatic immunity. But it's unclear who actually started this usage, and Garrison may have been only guessing as to their rationale; he also mentions that some earlier appearances of the caduceus in medical history have no clear explanation, so you could, if you felt like it, see these as cases of Mercury manipulating people behind the scenes.</ref> Unlike Asclepius, Mercury/Hermes in mythology was not directly associated with healing; his main attributes were as a messenger (often an untrustworthy one), a transporter of dead souls, and a facilitator of commerce, and the caduceus was not even specific to him but was a general accessory for messengers and heralds. If one believed Mercury to be a real entity who's still with us, then the current role of the caduceus in the human imagination could be seen as evidence of his great skill at deceptive self-promotion; that's consistent with the characterizations of both Mercury and Billy in ''The M.D.'', since they're both unscrupulous and acquisitive people who are happy to take credit they don't deserve. Billy often isn't honest with himself either, and maybe the same is true of Mercury, who tells two contradictory stories about the caduceus in Chapter 10 and claims that he can't actually remember which is right.
 === his real father ... sold the ''Junior Universe of Knowledge Encyclopedia'' ===