CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: Andrew Decides to Succeed

Andrew felt a great desire for the friendship of another doctor. Denny was abroad, having taken a post with an oil company, and Hope was now working in the north of England. So Andrew decided to telephone Freddie Hamson.

‘This is Manson – Andrew Manson. I’ve bought a practice in London,’ he told him.

‘Manson! In London! Good heavens, man! Why didn’t you telephone me before?’

‘Oh, I’ve been too busy!’ Andrew smiled to himself. ‘I’m married now, Freddie.’

‘So am I! We must meet at once. Can you come to dinner on Thursday? Good!’

Christine expressed no pleasure when Andrew told her of the invitation.

‘You go alone, Andrew,’ she suggested.

‘Oh nonsense! I know that you don’t like Freddie very much, but there’ll be other people there as well – probably other doctors.’

When they arrived at Hamson’s grand house on Thursday night, Freddie greeted them most warmly. ‘It’s lovely to see you people again. How do you like my house, old man? Didn’t I tell you that I would succeed?’

It looked a most expensive house. Andrew was about to express his admiration when Mrs Hamson entered. Almost at once, the other guests arrived. Introductions followed, with much talk and laughter. Then they went into dinner, a good meal with expensive food and drink.

After two glasses of wine, Andrew felt very happy. He listened with interest when Ivory and Deedman, two well-known and successful doctors, talked loudly about their medical experiences. He said to himself: ‘I must get to know these men better. They’re so rich and successful!’

‘I played a clever trick the other day,’ said Ivory. ‘I persuaded a patient to have a course of 12 treatments. I told him that the usual charge for this was fifty pounds, but that I would be willing to reduce the price to forty-five pounds if he paid me immediately. He gave me a cheque at once!’

‘That’s the way to make money!’ Freddie laughed. ‘And a bottle of medicine would have done him just as much good!’

Ivory smiled. ‘Yes – and the price of the medicine is under a pound!’

‘Most people,’ remarked Deedman, ‘do not realize how little these treatments really cost. The important thing is to make them think that they are expensive!’

Ivory and Hamson agreed. ‘Exactly! The more you charge a patient, the more confidence he has in you!’

They continued to talk in this manner after dinner. Andrew listened, smoked and drank. They all drank. They brought Andrew into their conversation, and when Christine said that it was time to go home Ivory remarked warmly: ‘If at any time you would like my advice about a case, Manson, let me know. I shall always be pleased to help óîu.’

Andrew thanked him, and walked with an unsteady step to the door.

On their way home, he said happily: ‘Chris! We’ve had a lovely time, haven’t we?’

She answered coldly: ‘We’ve had a terrible time! I like Denny and Hope – but not those people!’

‘Why? What do you mean? What’s wrong with-‘

‘Everything! The food, the furniture, the way they talked – money is all that they think about!’

Mistaking her remark for jealousy, Andrew cried out: ‘I’ll make money for you, Chris!’

‘I don’t want money!’ she said.

‘But, my dear-‘ He tried to put his arm round her.

‘Don’t! I love you, Andrew – but not when you’ve drunk too much!’

Andrew said no more, but when he went to bed that night he promised himself: ‘I will make money! I’m going to succeed, too!’

Next morning, Andrew looked up the qualifications of Ivory, Deedman and Hamson in a medical book. To his surprise, he discovered that these rich doctors did not have the qualifications he did. ‘I can do better than they are doing!’ he said to himself.

Andrew made a sudden decision to find himself a part-time post at a London hospital. As such appointments were not easy to find, he went to see Sir Robert Abbey.

‘I will do my best to help you,’ Abbey promised him. ‘The Victoria Chest Hospital would be the best for you. I will make some inquiries.’

Ahdrew went home, feeling very pleased.

‘I’ve just seen Abbey,’ he told Christine. ‘He’s going to try to get me a post at the Victoria Hospital. A hospital appointment would improve my position greatly.’

The pleasure in her eyes made him feel sorry. ‘I’ve been very bad-tempered recendy, Chris! Will you forgive me?’ he asked.

She ran to him, saying that it had been her fault.

Andrew now worked with increased determination, feeling sure that he would soon have some good luck. Slowly his practice improved. But he still had many disappointments. Some of his cases were serious, needing admission to hospital at once. Yet Andrew could rarely persuade any hospital to admit even the most dangerous case.

‘Dr Who?’ they would ask when he telephoned. ‘Who? No, no! Sorry! We have no empty beds!’

One day Andrew went to Christine, complaining. ‘They’ve plenty of beds for their own doctors. If they don’t know a doctor, they refuse to admit his patients. This is London! This is our hospital system! It’s terrible!’

He was still waiting to hear from Abbey about the hospital appointment. He was also disappointed that he had not heard from Hamson or his friends since their dinner. Feeling rather miserable, he sat in his surgery one evening towards the end of April, thinking about his future. It was nearly nine o’clock, and he was about to lock the door for the night when a young woman entered.

‘What is your trouble?’ he asked her.

She smiled and sat down. ‘Mrs Smith, in the little food shop, advised me to come to you, Doctor,’ she said. ‘I work at a large dress shop. My name is Miss Cramb. I am having trouble with my hands. I have been to several doctors in this area, but they have not been able to cure me.’

He looked at her hands, which were very red and sore. With sudden interest, he examined them more closely.

‘They make it difficult for me to work,’ she said. ‘I’ve tried various medicines, but they have done no good.’

‘No. They wouldn’t,’ he said. ‘You are suffering from a rather rare skin disease. Medicines are useless for this disease. It is caused by the food you eat.’

‘Well, no doctor has told me that before!’

He laughed and wrote out a list of the foods that she must avoid.

She took the list saying: ‘I’ll take your advice, Doctor. I’ll try anything!’ She paid Andrew for his services, and left.

Ten days later, she returned. ‘Look at my hands now, Doctor. Cured! I am so grateful to you!’

‘That’s all right,’ Andrew answered awkwardly.

She rose. ‘Perhaps one day I shall be able to prove to you that I am grateful,’ she said.

He smiled and showed her to the door.