}`HPLASErJ}.mt 10 .hm 3 .h1Grayson Enterprise Ltd. First NA Serial Rights .h2Page #. Copyright 1991 .h3 775 words + captions .LS2       DOCTOR AND NURSE FIGURINES  Written and Photographed by June Grayson      "Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief." Fortunately for   collectors, children aren't the only ones who know that old   nursery rhyme. The artists who conceive the myriad lines of   collectibles now offered in the marketplace are hard-pressed to   keep up with the continuing demand for what I call "occupational   figurines." Lucky for you if you or a family member or friend work in   one of those careers whose essence can be readily captured in   pottery, porcelain, or wood. You can always find an ideal present   or souvenir for any occasion. π03 Š Our burgeoning collection of doctor and nurse figurines   started innocently enough almost 20 years ago. A grateful   patient gave my husband an exquisitely detailed porcelain doctor   figurine almost 20" tall. Richard placed it on a table among   other medical mementos in his waiting room.  Somehow it mysteriously "disappeared" only a few months   later, although nothing like that has happened to us before or   since in the little heartland suburb where we live. Because this   occurred before we became interested in collecting, I had never   once turned it over to find out the name and date of the maker!  I regret that I will never be able to replace it or recognize  a duplicate at this late date even if I should find one.  Our medical collectibles are still on display. Now, howev  er, they repose in a large (and locked) oak display cabinet.   Patients seem to enjoy looking at them. We think it contributes   to the comfortable and home-like atmosphere we aim for in the   office of a specialist in internal medicine.  Anthropomorphic figures are nothing new, of course,  Prehistoric potters have made likenesses of human beings since   the dawn of history, portraying human as well as mythical crea  tures. Jugs in the shape of human heads have been found in   Britain from the time of the Roman occupation. Peruvian potters   in South America made portrait jugs for use as water bottles.  π0- Š German stoneware jugs called "Greybeards", with bearded   human faces carved on the necks of the jugs, appeared in the 15th   century. In the early 18th century, unknown English potters made   small earthenware figures in the shapes of soldiers and musi  cians. The famed Meissen company in Europe produced many porce  lain figurines, now in museums and private collections around the   world. Later, English potters during the Victorian Age produced   literally millions of the humble toys, known as Staffordshire   figurines, for the English lower classes.  Doctors and nurses are seldom represented in these images.   Evidently, these professions did not have the importance that   they do today. However, the book by Robert Schmidt published in 1932, PORCELAIN AS AN ART AND THE MIRROR OF FASHION, pictures a   Meissen figurine from the 18th century entitled "Quack Doctor." Three rare Staffordshire figurines depict Florence Nightin  gale, The Lady With The Lamp, who reformed the nursing profession   through her service to British troops during the Crimean War in   the 1850s. The rise in respect for the healing professions has been   related to the great improvements in public health and sanitation   as well as the medical means to identify and control infectious   disease, all of which began less than 200 years ago. Evidently,   the increase in the production of medical figurines has risen   proportionately to the doctor's perceived reputation. π0- Š Most figurines still portray doctors as men and nurses as   women. Yet that is changing. Lladro offers a current figurine   of a woman doctor. The Italian ANRI woodcarvings by the Austra  lian artist, Sarah Kay, include three medical figurines: a female   nurse carrying a tray, (Tender Loving Care), a male doctor with a   stethoscope and doctor's bag (House Call), and a female doctor   examining a patient's chart (Yearly Check Up).  Some artists take a satirical view of doctors. It is not   surprising that we should have this love-hate relationship with   doctors. Who wants to face the awful anxieties of sometimes   inevitable disability and death?   „„  How will doctors and nurses be portrayed in the 21st cen  tury? I only hope they won't be personified as print-outs from   an impersonal computer data-bank. Still, for most people today, the doctor remains the embodi  ment of the compassionate healer and friend: to cure sometimes,   to comfort always, to harm never.  As Norman Rockwell entitled his March 9, 1929, Saturday   Evening Post cover (later interpreted in a porcelain figurine)   from the writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau, "What wisdom can you   find that is greater than kindness?"    dd! ####### June Grayson is a registered nurse who manages her doctor   husband's medical office. He collects old medical books, brass   mortars and pestles, and medical figurines. She collects Victo  rian cracker jars and writes about antiques and collectibles.