This article is a study of the play An Enemy of the People (1882) by Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906). One of its main characters, Dr Tomas Stockmann, has a crucial role in the discussion about the medical conditions at the public baths. Four excerpts from the play is presented for further discussion. The focus of this article is on Dr Stockmann's work as a public health physician: What causes Dr Stockmann's failure in bringing his report on the medical conditions at the baths to the public? What can physicians in general learn from Dr Stockmann? The article concludes that Dr Stockmann richly illustrates communicative failure and that he is a complex figure, provocative as well as inspiring--something in between a medical savage and a public health hero.