Case History

Theme:

Abse was a doctor and a Jew, and has to treat a patient that he has inner hateful towards his patient. The poem talks about the relationship between doctor and patient, and creates a discussion how they might feel when interacting with patients they don't like. The limits of professional responsibility and medical ethics is questioned, and how much professionalism there is or morality.

Content:

In this poem Abse is a doctor that is treating a German patient, and has to restrain himself from acting unprofessionally because he is being deliberately offensive towards Jews.

Analysis:

'Breed' implies that they are like dogs, and only there for scienfic experiments.
The patient maligns 'liberals' - people who are open minded to equal rights, called the 'white blacks'. This is an oxymoron; that they look like white people but are different underneath.
'Goering' 'Himmler' were Nazis that were part of Hitler's group, the sadistic leaders that were responsible for horrendous actions. The doctor can see them in the patient's features, and looks at him with disgust. The patient pays tribute to Hitler, 'mein Fuhrer', and respects this man like his idol despite the horrible things he has done.
Due to the position of his job and status, the doctor has to treat the patient like 'his brother', treating him like a normal person. The doctor has higher morals and becomes the better person in this, not living up to someone's lower expectations.
He doesn't take revenge dispite how the pharmacy offers poisonous, deadly drugs like 'cowbane, deadly nighshade, deathcap', and holds the chance to kill him. The doctor expresses his dislike but doesn't take it personally.
In the last stanza, his 'right hand lost its cunning'. During the night he has a dead arm. He has a lack of control and no power over his body, this could mean he is being punished for not taking a moral stance against his patient and shows his lack of nerves and moment of weakness he had before. If the doctor was physically unable to treat the patient he would not be held responsible, and regrets that he could have been cunning and played it out to take his revenge slyly.