QWhat medical conditions have been mentioned in the series?
AIn the Pilot a 7 year old is HIV positive, and Dr. Becker makes arrangements for him to be treated by a new program and pays for it himself quietly.
Addison's Disease (after Becker struggled to determine the cause of his patient's symptoms, Linda mentioned that the man still had a tan even though he'd come back from vacation 2 weeks ago. This is what tipped Becker off that his patient had Addison's.)
Lou Gehrig's Disease (Becker gets a special machine for a patient with ALS who cannot speak. The episode centers around the man's anger)
Multiple Sclerosis (One of Becker's patients has MS, the episode centers around Becker dealing with having to deliver the news to the patient)
Arteriovenous Malformation (A man comes in for a routine physical, Becker hears an abnormal sound upon an examination with a stethoscope and insists that the patient go to the hospital immediately. The man is diagnosed with an AVM and is rushed to surgery. He survives)
Heart Attack (One of Becker's patients suffers a heart attack at the gym and subsequently sues him for malpractice)
Cerebral hemorrhage (One of Becker's patients dies after suffering a hemorrhage. Becker struggles with this because he had just given him a physical days before and he was fine.)In more than one episode, Becker has dealt with mental illness as well, such as Becker: Papa Does Preach (#5.7), where he attempts to help a man with Dissociative Identity Disorder, or multiple personalities.
QWhat are Becker's religious views?
ABecker claims to be an atheist. When a patient comes to him thinking he hears the voice of God (whom he calls Larry), Becker tells him "there is no Larry". Becker once told a priest that "I became an atheist, I was raised agnostic.", and when his neighbor said "God bless you", he replied "there is no God, but thanks for the thought."
On the other hand, some scenes seem to assert that Becker's claim that he doesn't believe in God is merely said out of anger at God since he believes that God is causing his misery. When Margaret jumps on Becker for blaming something on a God that he doesn't believe in, Becker states, "and that is why he is after me, Margaret." Later when Becker is having an unexpected streak of good luck, he keeps complaining that it is merely being done by an evil force that is stretching his good luck like a "rubber band" that will pop and give him a huge run of bad luck. At the end Becker does get hit with a round of bad luck and the episode closes with him looking up at the sky and stating "I love your work."
QWhat are Linda and Margaret's jobs?
AMargaret is a nurse who manages Becker's practice and occasionally provides home care to patients. Linda assists with routine duties around the office, such as filing. She also once mentioned that she reads to the kids who visit the office. Becker once mentioned that he owed her father a favor, implying that that is the only reason he hired her.
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