“Throw physic to the dogs!”: Moral physicians and medical malpractice in Macbeth

Only seven physician-characters appear in all of Shakespeare’s plays,1 and two of them are found in his most compact tragedy, Macbeth. Although neither of these characters have names, they are both present at key moments of the play and provide spiritual and moral commentary that appears to exceed their professional boundaries. In a play charged with supernatural themes, why would two “men of science” be burdened with such responsibilities?