Jack The Ripper – A Love Story ( Excerpt 169 )
Wednesday, much as I had expected was more about sight-seeing than medicine. One elderly lady came in complaining of intermittent dizzy spells. She was easily diagnosed, I could smell t he alcohol on her breath.
I went through the motions of giving her a Medical Inspection, after which I asked her if she liked the occasional tot of alcohol, she admitted to being rather partial to the odd glass of sherry. I asked, did she sometimes have more than the odd glass. Once again, she looked embarrassed but admitted to sometimes having several.
I explained to her that this was without a doubt, the cause of her dizziness, and that unless she was more moderate with her consumption of sherry, she could end up with a liver dysfunction. Which in terms of worse scenario could result in her demise.
She left my office a very chastened lady, vowing never to touch a drop of alcohol again and deciding there and then to become a member of the Temperance League.
The majority of my visitors had too much time on their hands and presented me with a plethora of imagined illnesses. Or it was their offspring, did he look sickly? was he small for his age, was he developing properly? and all the other usual questions a doting Mother asks about their offspring. And my answer was always the same, Children grow at their own speed, given a healthy diet, lots of fresh air and exercise and they will thrive.
(C) Damian Grange 2019
