The play, set during the 19th century, is based on the true story of the infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare, who eventually resorted to murder in order to make money from the supply of bodies for anatomical research. Thomas, unusually, addresses the philosophical issues of science and religion as well as the social and political conditions which gave rise to such activities.
The Doctor And The Devils was the first of Thomas' film scripts to be published and it appeared shortly before his death in 1953. The play, set during the 19th century, is based on the true story of the infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare, who eventually resorted to murder in order to make money from the supply of bodies for anatomical research. Thomas, unusually, addresses the philosophical issues of science and religion as well as the social and political conditions which gave rise to such activities.
In the play, the body-snatchers Fallon and Broom are driven to murder by the desperate conditions in which they live. Thomas places much of the action amidst the squalor and depravity of the city and contrasts this with the "intimate, comfortable" rooms in which the educated men live and work.
The play concludes with Fallon being hanged while the medical men who employed him are protected in order to maintain "the dignity of the higher professions". Thomas comments on a society of double standards and corruption in which the poor are dispensable.
Despite the obvious contrasts, both Fallon and Rock - the doctor who buys the bodies - are united by the philosophical dilemmas which they encounter. Thomas once again gains inspiration from the literature of the past, and Shakespeare's Macbeth is an influence for many of his scenes. In a moment of anguish, Fallon 'raises his hands before him' as he contemplates his guilt.
Rock later reflects that he bears responsibility for the murders as though his "hands were Fallon's hands". These lines recall Lady Macbeth's declaration to her husband that "My hands are of your colour". Like Shakespeare, Thomas addresses the great literary themes of murder and power and the psychological effects that these have on the characters.
Contemporary issues are also explored. These include the responsibilities of science, and the relationship between science and religion. Medicine is granted a deified status worth "killing and lying and dying for" in order to enhance the progress of mankind, but the social comments within the play raise questions about who is to be included in this vision of mankind. Rock, who is an atheist, also asks himself "Did I set myself up as a little god over death?" prompting doubts about the role of God in a scientific world.
Written after several years' experience of radio broadcasting, The Doctor And The Devils demonstrates Thomas' ability to write sparse, straightforward prose. He begins to explore political and social issues which were excluded from his sensuous, aesthetic poetry, while maintaining his fascination with death, religion and the workings of the human mind.
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