The Hospital Murders

it and our problem will not be how to continue on our course, but rather how to meet the increasing demands whic

the reputation of the Elijah Wilson has been founded....” Dr. Henry MacArthur hesitated, his eye-glasses carefully poised between his right thumb and forefinger. “Have any of you some specia

shifted in their chairs and prepared to ris

inding his body and adjusting his bushy head, unconsciously balancing that list in

as a note of patience in Dr. MacArthur’s question

ur permission, I

with a clarity, spoken with a certainty and uttered with a velocity which t

smart-alec student had said he looked like Christ in a Derby hat. But even that didn’t stick. A man whose hazel-brown eyes had spent sixty-eight years laughing at

his lips and h

Monday staff meetings usually lasted from four to five and that was an hour when nobody ever died, he

f of the Elijah Wilson Hospital turned to Dr. Ethridge Sterling, Junior, temporarily Physician-in-Chief, aged thirty-eight, whose pres

Ward, have died of causes which seem to our staff

ped his watch shu

you are taking your Hippocrat

ildish pleading in the man’s voice. “Dr. MacArthur ha

aying 39 temples and stated: “The de

ling, Senior, Dr. Harrison and Dr. Barton braced themselves for the ner

and Hoffbein inhaled the phra

s quick, emphatic

ood prognosis. Basal average, and nerves in excellent shape, considering

ein, as he was known to medical students, and

se. The antagonism between these two men was

d I saw her between seven and nine Thursday night and Dr.

lips of Dr. Harold Barto

hns Hopkins 40 Medical School and

held the

ring his Sons of Cincinnati rosette which in the private opinion of the majority o

oliteness Cub St

. She was put in the bed the night after the goitre died. A whole day was given to a complete and thorough examination and the findings

tographed emotions as a stage does li

ette. MacArthur and Bear Sterling watched carefu

thought that was a ‘fade-out.’ Upon the secon

is lavender eyes upon Dr.

the question was Dr. Harrison. He was scrutinizing the shad

much as their respective builds allowed, upon the

rs wore on, it should have been changed to Polar-Bear. He r

ere no f

e fell upon

by judicially, started

so long that the staff had grown to consider him partly femi

hink is back o

find anything,

ves. Dr. MacArthur realized the thing must b

staff didn’t think so much of “black magic”, therefore enun

ersonal impress

ences the way other

himself an angular

s checked the supervisor, the head nurse, the graduate floor nurse, and I’ve gone over my internes thoroughly ... man by man ... and woman by woman.... The reason I’m bringin

osis,” Hoff

ulders and began fingering his key

the Administration Building: the door nobody had ever entered since that night so many years ago when he had fixed Flos

his operating hand so that the scalpel punctured her femoral artery ... and Flossie hemorrhaged; and Ted lay in the

blood his coat made upon the white plaster wall as he leaned against it and

et was the first man he ever heard cry. That night, even now ... t

ver down the obscure winding stairway behind the Director’s office, the Nursing

changed from the hook system and the 44 vat was a slimy mass

. That blotch of blood Ted’s back had left a

ky will reflect that I’ve bro

Longstreet had

ous, he had tried to believe that the blotch was faded, but there came spells still where he’d lose the key in his dreams and hun

then her legs were perfect enough to carry over to the new pathology bu

looked backward then, he could never have married old Dr. Jemison’s

had ever known wer

antagonism which was rising between his

rivate conclus

n, Hoffbein,” said Bear. Bear’s ey

tion in his department, and asks, in relation to the hospital, how our experience would l

t his watch and rose. He had said nothing for minute

ght in his fo

one with the bed

sir. A patien

elle

ady stroke of a m

e are more frequent than recoveries and Ethridge has my profound respect for acknowledging himself up 46 against one. When one has t

eautiful operatio

ssy Paton’s life-long impulse

k, the opposit

ber of the staff had declared themselv

s upon Ethridge’s should

e utterly self-righteous bows with which Hoff

c, and I’ll tell you about

into his facial muscles and slithered out of the Adminis

rd 47 he turned his stately head and gave the Administration Building a regretful stare. The architects had been at variance about the period and the structure screamed their different tastes. The four corner turrets were the desire of E

ill and he folded h

r outgrown the reach of any child’s hand, and forged to

pockets, turned down the long corridor to the left and in what his students calle

y, we are behind you. We h

his never speaking to anybody except with a nod was true. Too bad! Too bad! He had been against his elevation from the first. Too

d,” he purred paterna

icine Clinic a shove and

ed that door. The inclination to be comforted, when harassed, w

over languidly and s

edic; of figuring out a career and a medical school for her famous father;

s raised. The

irritation and

to part scornfu

ne! Can I believe my own eyes? Give me

. You are much better,

utterly silent. Then in a hu

ght to though! Famous, dictatorial, and snappish. So overbearing flies won’t e

usly, and the girl fl

d and the lashe

ut

n it. Cub’s amusement

phi

and every curl o

face changed desperatel

it?” Cub leaned

y left leg...

ining. His brows had knit heavily. His

but when her eyes caugh

he truth. W

ak lowered. He re

crop up like bursting blist

ly quiet and shocked him

ives. I report murder trials, you know ... and I have a

kly. Their eyes locked and h

ke no chances. That leg is to be bound and remain bound for twenty-four hour

began sliding too deeply into

d do you s

ound her nose, but

s phle

is head thr

uestion mark, won

rst through and

d be an excla

ed, and he switched the

r. Merri

ing, writing textbooks in the afternoon.... No! he couldn’t

hed upro

irl a

she continued, “I like your father. I heard him talk at the Med

Then, to cover his

e you doi

d in the pillows an

among the medical w

he timbre of it made her

ce the day after New Years. I was in the Press box pinch

e you.” The tone c

nd a curtain trying to keep up with

aid admiringly, th

r name ...

twitched

to the church register, Sally Ferguson. To the reporters on The Call, ‘Fer

ub straightened the cover over

ette smoker. What’s the

him slowly. Th

mels, Chesterfiel

d and he

Gol

again, an

ack at Otto’s. Brin

ice re

’s O

oor before he spok

ink! May be late tonight before I get over there. After eleven, probably. My house staff

to a natural smile, which f

Ferguson remembered that she hadn’t asked him

hospital coat. The sun had left the trees in the back garden of the great hospital and the nur

how hideous they were. They always listened to what you said and divined what you didn’t say, and wh

-eight years and they had got along pretty well.... Why not leave well enough alone! He glanced up at the corridor clock and swung ’round and returned to Medicine C

go to his own office and send for Miss Kerr. But if he ha

laid down her pen and carefully smiled. Before she did either of these

Ethri

rling little boy,” she had come from Massachu

o a chair and adjusted i

eting this afternoon I reported the

.. you ... wasn’t it a li

e so. Dr. MacAr

compromising position. A matter which reflects so unfavorably upon the whole medical unit should, I most emphatically feel, have been disc

wa

e he was contemplating her large flat feet she would have noticed it. He knew that

s what the nursing staff has been subjected t

you alone were bear

som ascended, “Dr. Merritt always....” then

t my service, Doctor. In all th

e and do as it is ordered to by the medical. This is not a time for disagre

he meeting if there were any spe

on

s are the five

last fall. Really, Dr. Ethridge, hasn’t my service been probed far enough? For you, Dr. MacArth

t her

dy ... and every

nsent of will is always wom

t me ... and dear Dr. Hoffbein and even in front of Dr. Peters ..

s you call it, ‘humiliated’? As your line of duty in a crisis, your

e and

chair with the dete

! I can answer now ... and later, D

e in two ascendin

correct, Miss Ker

iss Roenna Kerr, Class of ’90 M. G. and head nurse in Medicine Clinic Elijah Wi

re his early rounds began, Dr. Ethridge Sterling, Junior, slouc

damn neck! Sex-re

perintendent of nurses so many years th

e clinics had checked-in their midnight

st reached the place where the real murderer was

tion of which was profane,

pon a ris

t the other

perintenden

cked her: “Yes.

g. The telephone of the night supervisor Medicine Clinic does not answer, s

reath pushed each lette

he student nurse’s voice be

spiration? Draw the curtains and leave everything exactly

ponse and Miss Withers fe

n her voice would have revived the

the girl

o as I

upted in her regular reverie as to whether sh

r. 59 Ethridge Sterling, Junior. Get D

ed that was enough for t

muttered and began r

. Again. That’s the third one! Sup

hite iron bed in his “Germicidal Cell,

zzi

of unconscious fatigue. The contact between

interest, it was simply a sign t

hers’ voice was like a

as bluntly and res

The woman in Medicine,

ead? Cou

k, Bed 11,

awake thundere

nurse has just reported t

ily pulling on his pants. The receiver lay upon t

fied. Call the morgue. Call.... My God, Miss Withers, call everybody but the police!

urning. He started around the octagonal hall toward the stairway. Three flights

buttoning his pants and started toward th

ith her mother in Cin

sed the statue and was letting out

Henry MacArthur answered immediately

classmates at Mass. General and

hair reposed a specially built corset to hide the collapsing stomach. Under the bed stood, like a pair of dachshunds, two large white shoes wi

the insistent clamor of her telephone. She arose, put on her woo

n Bed 11, Ward B, Medi

first time in all the years she had been a nurse Miss K

htgown, she assumed her mil

are whose

n the second floor of the Administration Building. Graduated to “golden 62

till used

double bed with a pillow nestled into his neck. He had reached that se

awakened Cub before. She began ringing in short

aw

it was a pillow—flew through a

fury out upo

’

he same as if he

actually lo

ocess and then in e

attus had cut in upo

? Dr. Mattus.

ea

ng ... wherever he is

rette. The pillow was no go ... but that 63 lovely

e interru

ated hi

Pupil nurse Medicine reported patient in Bed 11, Ward B,

pillow ... but was aimed

. About seven. Dead!” His incredulity al

us is on

l I get over there before ... and Miss With

ay murder ... but h

ator snapped t

me know when you get Riversid

e trouble. Can’

. “You know as much as I do. A woman ‘went

hat did they expect her to do

uine pieces inherited from his wife’s mother—Dr. Henry MacArthur snored peacefully. His wife was in Paris and he had spent from ten

hrown out, from habit, toward his wife’s side. He

several medical journals. They were dusty. Only the te

hat at any moment of any hour he must be immediately available and ready with a wise, sane, judicial decision upon any subject under the sun. Theref

the servants

en utterl

t off with unint

re. Therefore she took several surreptitious puffs of a cigarette, cut in upon the exchange and settled

s succ

to Dr. MacArthur’s consciousness. He turn

and began again ... this time in th

or the receiver. It was no use. She rang

ut, in an endeavor to keep them from ac

he receiver

was like a

his brain with an impact. He

n Bed 11, Ward B, is dead. Found by

ea

her. There are no signs of ... of anythin

utopsy. Keep entire staff intact. Notify your father. K

d to recede and he crawled out

, financial panics, women ... but this was his f