Meaning & Analysis
A simple, direct observation that one is more likely to encounter an elderly person who is a drunkard than one who is a physician.
Insights
Critique of Medical Efficacy
The proverb serves as a critique of the medical profession, implying that physicians, despite their knowledge of health, often do not live to old age themselves, perhaps due to the stresses of their work or the inefficacy of their treatments.
Paradox of Lifestyle
It presents a paradoxical view on lifestyle and longevity, suggesting that a life of carefree indulgence may, counterintuitively, lead to a longer life than a life dedicated to the stressful and often dangerous profession of medicine.
Prevalence of Vice over Virtue
The proverb highlights a cynical truth about human nature and society: that vice and indulgence (represented by the drunkard) are far more common and perhaps more enduring than specialized, disciplined knowledge (represented by the physician).
Historical Skepticism of Medicine
This proverb reflects deep-seated historical skepticism toward the medical profession. In an era when medicine was often ineffective or even harmful, the idea that physicians themselves failed to reach old age resonated with a public wary of their remedies. It suggests that a physician's knowledge was no guarantee of a long life.
Cynical View of Longevity
The saying carries a cynical, almost fatalistic humor. It paradoxically suggests that a life of indulgence (the drunkard) might be more conducive to longevity than a life of stressful, professional responsibility (the physician), subtly questioning the value of medical authority versus lived experience.
Psychology of Indulgence
Psychologically, the proverb serves as a rationalization for indulgence. By framing the 'unhealthy' lifestyle of a drunkard as surprisingly durable, it minimizes the perceived risks of vice while simultaneously casting doubt on the supposed benefits of a disciplined, health-conscious life.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The proverb's power comes from the stark juxtaposition of the 'drunkard' (a symbol of unhealthy living) and the 'physician' (a symbol of health and longevity), creating a memorable and thought-provoking contrast.
Irony
The core of the proverb is its situational irony: the group expected to die young (drunkards) supposedly outlives the group whose profession is to prolong life (physicians), challenging conventional wisdom.
Hyperbole
The statement functions as a satirical exaggeration, not intended as a literal statistic but as a pointed commentary on the perceived failures of medicine and the unpredictability of life.
Transcription
Quotations
It is reported (as you know well enough) that the number of old men that are dronkerds is greater, then the number of olde men that are Phisitions.
(old good fellowes, then old Physicians).
(There be).
(old men Drunkards, than old men Physicians).
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.