Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-15

People write and tell me
things they never seemed to
when I confined my writing to
hooks and magazine pieces. For
example. they complain about
hard luck they may have had
with doctors. A few years ago
they didn't tell me such things.
I'VE didn't want to take the
chance Of insulting you," they
say. Nov that we have seen
you express yourself without IA
voritism to either doctors or pa
tents. we believe you can take
unprejudiced criticism at its face
value. After all. I think doctors
as well as patients-should be
willing to get under the micro
scope for the good of national
health"
l was confronted by an un-
happy woman yesterday. She
said: Il know you write a med
ical column. It's supposed to be
for the benefit of us laymen.
Now why wouldn't it be a good
idea to address a column or two
to your colleagues? I know how
most of them would react to such
gratuitous advice; but perhaps
few of the less sensitive might
be willing to listen and learn"
Then she hesitated. I asked her
to be more specific.
This concerns me and my
family" she said. "You see be-
fore you a woman whose life
has been 'unsweetened' by fam
lily illness. And l contend that
most of my unhappiness might
surely have been prevented if
doctors had used the good sense
they are supposed to have.
Insisted on Tests
Its a long story, but I'll
make it as brief as I can. I'm
not an ordinary complainer. For
five years I was under treatment
for various aches. pains and ia
tigue. l stuck to our family doc
tor all that time. He kept telling
me it was nerves. I'm sure he
called me neury and a pill, be-
hind my back.
Finally I prevailed upon him
to take blood tests for undulant
fever, I had been reading some
thing about the disease in a
national woman'S magazine. He
laughed at me for getting my
medicine that way, but agreed
to humor my whim. You must
know the answer. I had it. Bru-
cellosiS had been making an in
valid of me all those years. You
never saw such a contrite man.
He almost wiped the rug with
himself in apology. / forgave him
because only big person would
admit to that kind of mistake.
II know doctors are not God,
they are only human beings sub
iect to error. But considering
that they deal with our lives and
happiness. don't you think we
can expect them to be at least
little gods? They should not
laugh off our worries and little
concerns. It's. after all. our life
that is at stake. We should be
able to discuss our fears and
doubts without being made to
feel we are morons trespassing
on hallowed ground.
But this isn't all that's hap
pened to us. My husband had
another doctor who treated him
for months for exhaustion and
loss of weight. The diagnosis
was overwork. My husbands
father had died Of diabetes.
You'd think that would be rea-
son enough for considering dia-
betes. Well, the doctor didn't.
He took urine tests which were
negative. Again I made a sug-
gestion. This time it was not
laughed at. The blood sugar
test showed my husband had
diabetes.
While visiting some friends
stubbed my toes. AS the pain
prevented me from walking I
went to a doctor. He said it
was probably a sprain. in
sisted on X-rays. He took them.
Twenty minutes later he said
there was no fracture.
His nurse snickered and he
patted me patronizingly as If I
were a fool and told me not to