Evening star., 1939-04-16

" ~R. FINGER Office, MISS NlclH-
void said, crisply, into the tele-
- phone. "Oh, yes, DR.. Finger.
She's here 1912? :. Yes, Doctor,
have it. III send her right up"
She hung up and turned to the reserve
nurse. For you," she said. "Dr. Finger
wants you to go on duty in 1912. A Mr.
Martin. Says to bring the ice cap"
Elizabeth Galway snapped. "Of course,
the ice cap!' as she rose from her chair.
What else would it be-"
She checked her bag from force OF habit -
ice cap, rubbing alcohol thermometer,
nurses cap. The thermometer was joke.
In three years as reserve nurse at the Har-
den House she hadn't used it dozen times.
In these three years past, Elizabeth Galway.
selected because she was tall, slim, lovely,
because she looked trinity competent in her
white uniform, had nursed hangovers almost
, exclusively In the first few weeks she Won
dered whether guests at the Harden House
were immune to everything else. Hangovers,
hangovers, hangovers! Never case OF
.pleursy, or appendicitis, or pneumonia.
After while though, she understood. 1t
was simply that the hotel had rigid policy
on serious disease and death. Such things
were unpleasant, shocking. 1t would be dis
tasteful if other guests knew that somebody
was diving, or dead, in the next room, or on
the same floor.
So the guest who became ill, really i'll, was
bundled out to hospital. The rule was
ruthless, but the procedure diplomatic. DR..
Finger, the resident physician, upon finding
a case that was serious, suavely advised
disqualification If the patient didn't like the
idea, the hint was made trife palmer. If
unconscious, no diplomacy was wasted.
While an assistant manager stood guard.
signalling the moment when no guest was IN
the corridor, the patient, on stretcher, was
rushed to back elevator, sped down in it
to a back entrance. and into an ambulance.
1t was all very furtive.
But hangovers - ah that was different.
DR.. Finger welcomed hangovers His income
was $35, 600 year - and $4,000 of that
came from hangovers. If the guest were
prosperous, Dr. Finger called three times
day, very solicitously, at ten dollars solici-
tous visit A nurse was placed in attendance.
Nothing was spared to make the patient
comfortable.
Thus, after three years, Miss Galway was
familiar with all types of hangovers - the
weepy kind, the repentant, the big head and
upset stomach varieties. She had placed ice
caps on the aching heads of groaning sena-
tors, millionaire meat packers, convention
delegates, and big men from small towns.
She had held the hands of. and poured cool
ing drinks into women old enough to know
better and young enough to think it was
smart.
She had listened to babblings that the
trouble was the brandy and benedictines
after dinner, when the patient should have
stayed on rye: that the trouble was rye.
when the patient should have stayed on
Scotch; that the trouble was those last few
Scotches which hadn't tasted right, and
must have been bad stuff. Practically no
hangover ever was due to toomuch drinking.
And she was heartily sick of it. For this,
she had spent three years studying materla
medica and anatomy, for this she had put
in six months in the operating room OF a
famous hospital, for this she had scrubbed
floors and learned about the diseases of man.
For this business of putting an ice cap on
an abused head!