Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-20
Hospital Joys
Explained
By johnson
Radio Reported Illness
instead Of Checkup
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

THIS and my past few columns
have been written from the
Walter Reed General Hospital
in Washington instead of from
my office in the same city. l
didn't mention il because / did
not want. to distress some of
my family and friends TO whom
the word hospital has the
same connotation as receiving
an unexpected telegram.
l should have known better,
because l have tried the same
thing before with similar re-
suits. AS before. some of my
columnist and radio cornmenta-
tor colleagues went on the air
with the highly confidential"
information that l was in hos
pital dangerously ill., The re-
suit was not a little cruel, and
received so many apprehensive
letters and kilograms that ii
seems better TO state the facts.
Whenever / can, come TO this
hospital for a complete test of
vital functions TO see how badly
| have slipped. This time let il
60 for an unusually long time, and
there was more to be attended
to than | expected, but il ! am
dangerously i'll. il is more than
the efficient corps OF surgeons
and /, myself, know.
EXACTLY the same thing has
IL happened at least three
times over the years. Before i
was more in the news on account
Of NRA and WPA. This time
being Just a newspaper man. l
didn't think This easy eXaggera-
ton would be repeated
| have no fear Of not being
able 10 run my column from
here, because my office and staff
are working collecting dope
and doing a little better than
When | am too close at hand
Fostering them.
Furthermore. on one former
occasion of exactly the same
kind, ! settled the 1888 hitumi-
-f1ettS coal strike from mis- same
bedroom and il was. in some
ways, more dangerous and diff
fcult than the present unfortu-
nate strike in the captive mines.
Maybe the contestants in-this
scrap would be more sympa-
thetic toward each other if they
rad to deal with a man in bed.
pUT | never dreamed Of one
- great advantage of the an
nouncement of my dangerous
illness by my radio common
tator friend | have had more
dope brought 10 me by friends
since that message than ! could
have gotten for myself in
month OF logging.
Most everybody of my official
acquaintance seems 10 want 10
help me write my column.
While that seems soft for me, of
course II can't be done in quite
that way. You have 10 roll your
own. but l am getting enough
leads" TO last a month.
This confinement has its other
advantages. Not far down the
hall in his own small apartment,
is my old friend and commander
since boyhood, Gen John j.
Pershlng His mind is as alert
as ever, and his body, at so, only
slightly less so.
1t is rich experience. that
never expected. 10 be able 10
fight again with him in memory,
wars, military and otherwise. in
so gentle and unhurried an
atmosphere.
JUST across the hall is a
- sprightly youth of 81 who
was General Pershings instruc-
tor Al West Point and my
Inspector general for several
years.
These old Indian fighters are
Of different. and | fondly
think. b better generation Of
officers than we are getting
now in the modern wholesale
process Of making them Cen
eral Chamberlain still does his
daily dozen, and is as keen on
what is going on in the world
as any active officer / know
This hospital is one Of the
greatest institutions of It's kind
in the world. Fully equipped for
research and named for the CO.
diScoverer of the cause Of yellow
fever, Walter Reed. II is now
changing into a training school
for medical officers for a new
and enlarged army.
For years the chiefs of it's
surgical and medical services
have been among the greatest
surgeons and internists the
medical profession has produced.
would rather be hack in nv
office doing my work. but my
stay here will not be long. and
II certainly has its compensa-
tons in more ways than one.
Distributed by King Features synd, Inc
Reproduction in whole or in part
strictly prohibited.