Peppa Pig under fire from doctors for a surprising reason
Children’s cartoon Peppa Pig has come under fire yet again – this time by doctors for creating “unrealistic expectations”.
In an article published this week in the British Medical Journal, doctor and mother Catherine Bell examined whether the character Dr Brown Bear was responsible for people filling up waiting rooms and demanding house calls for minor ailments.
Dr Bell writes that the cartoon character “appears to provide his patients with an excellent service—prompt and direct telephone access, continuity of care, extended hours, and a low threshold for home visits”.
But Dr Bell questions whether Dr Brown Bear’s depiction of general practice is contributing to “unrealistic expectations of primary care”.
Dr Bell cited three examples in her article. One of them features Dr Brown Bear making home visits to treat a rash; in another he visits an 18-month-old piglet with a respiratory tract infection, and in a third example the bear goes to visit a pony with a cough.
After examining the three different cases, Dr Bell concluded that “exposure to Peppa Pig and its portrayal of general practice raises patient expectation and encourages inappropriate use of primary care services”.
She also argued that the cartoon bear appeared to be administering antibiotics in an era of rising antibiotic resistance and his workload has him showing signs of burnout.
“Dr Brown Bear was approached for his perspective on the cases discussed; however, he is unable to comment pending the outcome of a fitness to practise investigation,” Dr Bell writes.
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The article was published in the light-hearted Christmas edition of the journal, which typically publishes pseudoscientific articles.
It's certainly not the first time Peppa Pig has come under fire.
Earlier this year, the cartoon was criticised for telling children spiders "can't hurt you".
The ABC removed the episode amid fears it could encourage Australian kids to play with deadly spiders.
