Medical Specialty:
Infectious Diseases / Nephrology / Diagnostician
Job Title:
Head of the Department of Diagnostics
Position with the House Team:
Head
Education:
Undergraduate: Hopkins (when asked where he went to college, he says this [#312])
Medical School: Wilson says, "You went to [John] Hopkins and studied under Brightman and Gilmar." But he was "thrown out for cheating". [#212]
Personal Life:
Plays the Piano
Watches the soap opera "General Hospital"
Plays computer type games
Into Sports: watches baseball and lacrosse and uses sports analogies
House: "I cleverly have no personal life." [#113 Cursed]
Professional Life:
"I've been through three regime changes in this hospital." [#114 Control]
About his leg pain:
Cameron (explaining, why House keeps popping into the room from the hall way: "His leg hurts. Walking takes his mind off of it." [#223]
When asked why he became a doctor:
"When I was 14 my father was stationed in Japan. I went rock climbing with this kid from school. He fell, got injured and I had to bring him to the hospital. We came in through the wrong entrance and passed this guy in the hall. It was a janitor. My friend came down with an infection and the doctors didn't know what to do. So they brought in the janitor. He was a doctor. And a Buraku. One of Japan's untouchables. His ancestors had been slaughterers, grave diggers. And this guy, he knew that he wasn't accepted by the staff, he didn't even try. He didn't dress well. He didn't pretend to be one of them. The people that ran that place, they didn't think that he had anything they wanted. Except when they needed him. Because he was right. Which meant that nothing else mattered. And they had to listen to him." [#307}
When asked if anything bad has ever happened to him, he finally tells this story about being raised by his father, but when he first tells it he says it's about his grandmother so he uses "she" instead of "he" and we have removed the "s":
"...he liked things the way he liked them. And he believed in discipline. He was right, I suppose, because I hardly ever screwed up when he was around. Too scared of being forced to sleep in the yard or take a bath in ice." [#312]
Additional Information:
"Hugh Laurie... said.... he's often asked to summarize Dr. Gregory House's character 'in a couple of sentences? It can't be done. That's what's fascinating about him.... He's an endless round of contradictions.'"
— reported in the Hollywood Reporter Online July 15.
Quotes about Himself and being a doctor:
"...treating illnesses is why we became doctors, treating patients is what makes most doctors miserable." [#101 pilot]
"I'm bad at search parties and I'm bad at sitting around looking nervous doing nothing." [#102 Paternity]
"I'm the most curious man in the world." [#104 Maternity]
"I have difficulty with is the whole concept of belief. Faith isn't based on logic and experience." [#105 Damned if You Do]
House: "I don't like anybody." [#114 Control]
"I am exactly where I want to be doing exactly what I want to do." [#116 Heavy]
"Medical screwing. It's what I do." [#122 Honeymoon]
"Doctors love anomalies.... I'm interested in things that don't fit." [#201]
"I love rare." [#201]
House: "This is good!"
Foreman: "Good? This is bizarre."
House: "Bizarre is good! Common has hundreds of explanations. Bizarre has hardly any." [#204]
"I get to ask the questions. I've found you look a lot smarter asking the questions than dumbly not answering." [#204]
"When I was a kid, my dad was stationed at a marine base in Egypt. We were in the middle of nowhere and there was absolutely nothing for a kid to do except look for a mummy's tomb.... I never actually did find a mummy, but I did learn a fair amount about the ancient Egyptians. For example, they discovered that stannous chloride is not only great for toughening ruby glass, but if it's mixed with gold, it turns bright purple." [#215]