The Fox television show House is the one show I was pining for during the writer’s strike. I’ve got the whole series on DVD/iTunes Download and am really looking forward to new episodes. I realized early on that the reason for my love of the show isn’t that it’s a medical drama - I’m not a fan of those, but rather that it’s a re-imagining of my favorite fictional hero, Sherlock Holmes.

They’re not shy about this, either. Holmes’ famous address is, of course, 221b Baker Street. House’s address is “221″ and his apartment is unit “B.” Like Holmes, House (see the naming similarity, too? “House,” “Holmes” - a house is, after all a home) is a lonely bachelor with a lost love, his sidekick is Dr. WILSON (Holmes’ is Dr. WATSON). Of course they’re both addicted to Opiates, as well - Holmes the straight Opium which was a real problem in turn of the century England while House has his Vicodin, an opiate based analgesic. I could go on. But I won’t. Even the creators of the show admit House is Holmes.

Growing up in the 70s, I couldn’t have cared less for Marcus Welby or Dr. Gannon of Medical Center. House/Holmes though? It makes medicine interesting, even if the show plays fast and loose with the facts. Like House, I don’t really want to get involved in the human stories of medical treatment. I like the puzzles.

So, given all that, and the fact that given the natural process of aging in myself and my parents, medical treatment is becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life, I realized this morning that I’ve learned 4 basic things from House.

1. Opiates can be really, really bad.

2. Doctors make mistakes.

3. Everyone lies.

4 Opiates can be really, really good.

Oh, and by the way, I took this quiz, and “stuck that primo! How rad am I?”

True fans will get the reference.