LACTOG EN
FOR INFANT FEEDING AND INVALIDS
140
THE SPECULUM. 141
Cbe IDecision.
A tense, taut drama of modern men and women in modern Russia..
DRAMATIS PERSO NAE.
VELDA VELDAVITCH LENA LENAVITCH
VLADIMIR VLADIMIRVITCH NICHOLAS
OLGA .. VLADIMIR'S
PETER
PRINCE IVAN IVANOVITCH .
.. A YOUNG WOMAN .. HER STEPMOTHER A YOUNG MAN ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN . A ROYAL PERSON
RILDA RILDAVITCH .. GUNK'S LUNATIC AUNT
STARVING CHILDREN, SOLDIERS, PROSTITUTES, BOLSHEVIKS, COMMUNISTS, FASCISTS, ROYALISTS, ANARCHISTS
AND OTHERS.
This tense, tragic and dynamic drama cannot fail to move the millions it is bound to reach. The terrible atmosphere of fate, with the background of a horrible destiny overshadowing all, emphasises the awful decision which is, before Velda. The pathos of this drama has moved, or, rather, doubtless will move, thousands to tears and worse.
A psychological drama.
Place.—Russia.
Time.—The twentieth century.
Act I.—Scene 1.
A sitting-room in the house of Velda Veldavitch, a modern and cultured young Russian woman. The room is furnished in the Russian manner—a large samovar burns brightly in the middle of the room. Two ikons are affixed to the walls, one central, and one left. A luxurious divan occupies the hack of the room, beneath the first ikon. On the floor are rugs of various kinds—Turkish, Persian, Axminster—as well as the skins of several animals—e.g., bears, sables, etc. On a shelf, R.C., are several bottles of vodka and three tins of caviare. Some plain chairs are scattered about the room, and a piano (Bechstein Grand) occupies the wall beneath the second ikon. Large books are scattered about the room, some on the piano, some on the chairs, but most on the floor.
Three pictures adorn the walls where they are not already occupied by shelves or ikons. These pictures are very , modern—"Thoughts of a Merchant on Enter- ing a Train," "The Vortex," and "The Descent of Christ." There is an easel in the room, on which is a half-finished Cubist masterpiece (at least, it is presum- ably half-finished). Paint brushes are mixed up with the caviare. Velda is a cultured young woman.
The curtain rises to the sound of wails from starving children off stage.
(DETAIL.—The chorus of wails is produced by three groups—sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, and falsettos. The wails are arranged as descending minor thirds.)
D
The wailing continues for some time, until Gunk enters L., and, with a gesture of disdain throws a basin of glumph or arrowroot through the window.
Wails cease, and are replaced by sounds of mastication.
Gunk smiles with one end of his mouth only, and, setting a saucepan of tump or tripe upon the samovar, he goes out L.
There is now no sound save the mastication of the starving children, but soon the saucepan of tump begins to simmer.
The tump continues to simmer, and the starving children to masticate.
After five minutes a door is heard to slam below.
(DETAIL.—The slamming effect is produced by slamming the stage door of the theatre.)
Velda suddenly enters L. Her face, though distressingly ugly, has a spiritual and unearthly appearance. She wears a heavy fur coat of Siberian squirrel, and high boots. She removes her hat of Astrakhan straw, and we see that her hair is shingled. Velda is excessively modern as well as cultured.
Velda sinks on to the divan, and, with despair in her eyes, gazes reverently at the first ikon. She speaks, and her voice is full of the tragedy of the world, as though she had drunk nothing but tears all her life : "God ! Shall I never decide ?"
Suddenly the mastication of the starving children ceases, and the wails recommence, this time in ascending major fifths. Velda shudders violently, vibrates almost. Rising quickly, she listens.
"Ah, the poor, the poor ! They are always with us !"
She goes to the samovar, and, seizing the saucepan of tump, she walks with it to the window, and inverts it, pouring the steaming food on to the starving children below.
(DETAIL.—A large basin is placed behind the drop scene, in order to catch the outpourings of Velda's generosity, and so that the floor of the stage shall be kept clean.)
Wails cease, and mastication resumed. As Velda inverts the saucepan, Vladimir Vladimirvitch enters quietly. He contemplates Velda for a fraction of a second, and, stepping swiftly to her, he kisses the hem of her coat. Velda is overcome, and drops the saucepan out of the window. The saucepan is heard to crush the head of a starving child, and there is a shrill, staccato scream off stage.
(DETAIL.—The sound of the crushed head is produced by putting a boiled lamb's head through a mangle, and the scream is emitted by two falsettos, the pitch being A double-flat in alt.)
Vladimir (ecstatically, reverently, yet proudly) : "Ah, you have ailed the hungry with good things."
Velda : "No, you must not say that."
Vladimir : "But you have. I saw you."
Velda : "It is nothing. Let us not talk of it. Let us rather talk of the higher things, the pure, the intangible ; the strange psycho-analytical things that charm the mind, that uplift the soul—the THINGS THAT MATTER."
Vladimir : "Yes, let us talk of you."
Velda : "No, no. To-day, coming through the forest, I saw a rabbit. It was gathering food for its young. Ah, how my heart went out to it !"
Vladimir : "Yes, one's heart does go out to rabbits."
Velda "Ah, and the sky was blue with little white fleecy clouds upon it like lambs on blue water.
THE SPECULUM. 143 Vladimir : "Yes, it will be an early spring."
Velda : "Soon summer will be here."
Vladimir : "And after that, autumn."
Velda : "Then winter."
Vladimir: "Alas ! I shall never see the winter."
Velda : "It is very cold in winter."
(N.B.—This conversation goes to show the spiritual abstraction of Velda.
Even when her lover tells her of his mortal illness, she does not heed, but is still occupied by beautiful thoughts.)
Vladimir : "I am dying slowly."
Velda : "Ah, there is no death."
Vladimir : "I am very ill."
Velda : "Death is merely transfiguration, transmigration, and disintegration."
Vladimir : "Soon I shall be dead."
Velda : "Ah, spring is coming."
Vladimir : "I shall never see the spring."
Velda : "The warm, scented spring."
Vladimir (violently taking Velda by the coat) : "Velda, listen to me! I am dying, dying ! I am mortally ill ! I have opened my pores, and I cannot close them again. I cannot live till to-morrow." (His voice breaks.) "Ah, 'I cannot close my pores." (Sobs.)
Velda : "Ah ! Let me close them for you. Let me do something—anything."
Vladimir : "Alas, nothing can close them."
Velda : "Then let me fill them up. Let me fill them with gluschk or glue."
Vladimir (hopelessly) : "No ! I am past all human aid."
Velda : "But what can I do?"
Vladimir : "Be mine, before I die. Be mine, and let me go down into the shades knowing that I have lived, that my mission is fulfilled."
Velda : "Ah !" (She is very fond of saying "Ah !") "Not that, not that ! Ah !"
Vladimir : "Yes, that, that."
Velda : "Which? Which ?"
Vladimir : "What?"
Velda (bursting into tears) : "I don't know." (Sinks weeping on the divan.) Vladimir : "You must decide."
Velda : "I cannot. All day have I tried, but I cannot. No, never. I cannot.
Never."
Vladimir : "You must."
Velda (her memory is bad) : "What?"
Vladimir : "Decide !"
Velda (her memory is very bad) : "Decide what?"
Vladimir : "What I told you yesterday."
Velda (horrified) : "Ah God, not that!"
Vladimir (sternly) : "Yes, that !"
Velda (piteously) : "When?"
Vladimir : "Now, within half an hour."
Velda (pleadingly) : "No, Vladimir, do not make me do that. Not now.
Not here."
Vladimir : "Yes, yes, here and now. Is it he?"
Velda : "He? Who?"
Vladimir : "Him."
Velda : "No, no, I cannot." (Screams hysterically.) "I will not decide."
Vladimir (slowly, but forcefully) : "You must. I go now. In half an hour I shall return. If then you have not decided—" (Pauses agonisingly.)
Velda (tensely) : "Yes, what then?"
Vladimir : "Enough—I go—decide—good-bye." (Exit Vladimir abruptly.) Velda throws herself on the divan. She writes for a few moments, and then moans. Suddenly, light breaks upon her, and, standing up, she clasps her hands upon her bosom, but despair overcomes her once more, and again she throws herself on the divan. This is to show the terrific conflict going on within her. After writhing and moaning again for some time, she at last stands up, and, with all the sorrow of the world in her eyes, says with a dreadful despair and hopelessness : "I cannot decide."
Curtain falls very slowly, and, as it does so, Velda turns slowly towards the second ikon, to which she stretches out her hands, whilst the wailing of the starving children rises crescendo behind the scenes. When the curtain is half-way down, Velda turns towards the audience, and, holding out her hands appealingly towards them, she murmurs pleadingly, with infinite pathos in her voice, "I cannot decide."
Wails diminuendo off stage. Curtain.
The End.
—D.E.G.
3Dubs ant) 3Derelicts.
"Rosie."—You have all our sympathies. We can't write verse, either.
"T."—It wasn't, and you didn't succeed.
"H.D.A."—Not so much a contribution as a purulent effusion.
"A.D.T."—Burnt a bit blue.
"L.C."—Thanks. Passed it on.
"Zip."—If there is such a thing as mental paralytic ileus you've got it.
"T.J.D."—Using some, but—
There was a young girl from Nathalia, . Dahlia . . . . failure.
No. It won't do. Our Religious Editor is too valuable for us to allow him to suffer the severe incontinence that such contributions give rise to.
"Mary."—You sweet little thing. The office boy threatened us with battle, murder and sudden death when we relegated to the W.P.B. your ditty concerning residents clad in pink pyjamas and cherubic smiles.
"Liz."—"Hell holds no fury " Hm ! Never mind, we'll risk it.
"Elaine."—Good little girl !
"A.M.H."—Much thanks. "Before Exams." Savin' of it oop.
THE SPECULUM. 145
Zpicula.
"The arrangement of membranes was known to Viardel in the seventeenth century, who stated that, when children were of the same sex, they were usually enclosed in a single amnion ; whereas those of different sexes were separated by a partition wall. He expressed the opinion that Providence took this means of guarding their morals while in utero." [Obstetrics.] Whitridge Williams.
0 0 13 0 0 0
Scoffer : "What's the difference between an aerial and a clothes line, anyhow ?"
Wise : "Well, you see, the aerial draws the waves."
CI 0 0 0
Doctor's small son (on being told that he is to be taken to see the Maroondah weir) : "Mummy, is the dam at Maroondah the same as 'Dash the telephone' at home ?"
0 0 m 0 0
French. "Differential Diagnosis."
"Intolerance of hot or cold water on any part of the skin is described by some patients suffering from severe forms of the disease (Tabes Dorsalis)."
We believe it.
CI r mio ID 0
The famous gynaecologist had just been called in to a case. He was inter- viewing the mother. "My daughter has had a discharge for a week, Doctor.
She is in the next room." The usual examination was carried out carefully, but failed to reveal any abnormality. "I can't find anything wrong, my girl. Where is the discharge?" asked the Doctor. "Oh, Doctor, it's in my ear," was the astonishing reply.
Cl 0 O CI 0 0
GEMS FROM HISTORY BOOKS.
From the examination of a nerve case : "Patient vomited intelligently."
From a case of frequency : "An' if anyone was to turn a tap on I was done !"
0 o 0 0 0 13
Happened at the M.H. recently. A patient suffering from prepatellar bursitis was sent from O.P. to the Cas. Theatre, with instructions to prepare him for incision of his bursa. He wandered into the anaesthetic room by mistake, and was there seized by an enterprising nurse, who gave a test meal and passed a stomach tube before he realised where-he was.
Meanwhile the irate Honorary searched high and low for his patient, who had been seen to enter Cas., and was then lost. After a long search he was run to earth with the long tube hanging from his mouth. The patient was quite happy—considering it all part of his treatment. No one disillusioned him, and from that day to this he talks of the wonders of modern surgery in curing his knee by passing a tube into his stomach. —E.L. C.
O 0 0 0 0 0
Eve (dressing for party) : "What shall I wear to-night--a fig or laurel leaf ?"
Adam (the materialist) : "Wear a thistle."
O CI CI 0 0
From the Adelaide G.H.—An Honorary, speaking of the value or otherwise of rectal feeding, mentioned a War Hospital in England where much work had been done in this line. "In fact," he continued, "there was one case where such varieties of nourishment had been administered for so long, P.R., that the external sphincter had been trained to snap at a piece of toast."
CI CI CI 0 0 0
A director of the P. & 0. Company, meeting a lady at a dinner party who informed him that she was going abroad during the ensuing year, requested her
to let him know when she was travelling, as he would do all in his power to ensure her comfort. Some months later he received a letter asking him to secure her a "two-birth" cabin on a certain ship. He wrote back, saying that he was very pleased at being able to do so, and trusting that she would not be troubled
by "mal-de-mere."
ID CI CI El 0 0
HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT.
Algie's father was a fireman, That's the reason, I suppose, That Algie, while in college,
Took a fancy to the hose.
CI CI CI 0 CI El
Constable (to lady who has fallen in street) : "What's the matter, madam?
Have you vertigo ?"
Lady : "Oh, no ! Only about two miles !"
0 LI CI 0 0 CI
Junior Nurse "I can't understand what that patient is trying to say."
Casualty Surgeon: "Can't he cerebrate?"
J.N. : "He's' just been celebrating, Doctor."
O 0 CI CI CI CI
A very junior nurse had been told to dress a case of burns with aluminium acetate. A few moments later howls of anguish were heard coming from the patient. "What ate you using, Nurse?" asked Sister. "Ammon. Acet. and Pot Cit.," was the satisfied reply.
• 0 0 0 CI
Honorary : "Now, at a glance, how would you diagnose this case?"
Bright Student (after a glance at the chart, and seeing that the patient's name is William Plumb) : "Lead poisoning, sir."
13 CI 0 CI ID
Happened at A.H. recently. A small youth, aet. 8, wandered in. On being questioned, he replied : "I just want something for my nerves, Doctor !"
THE SPECULUM. 147
Corresponbence.
The Editor, "The Speculum."
Dear Sir,—May I venture to criticise the present course in Practical Mid- wifery at the Women's Hospital ? One's excuse, if any be needed, is that the criticism is in part constructive.
I. Number of Cases.—This averages five to six normals per student, as well as usually (though not necessarily or invariably) one forceps case. (Com- pare with this the fact that the nurses' diploma entails personal delivery of at least twenty cases.) It is rare for students to have the opportunity of doing more than one forceps delivery, three curettings, and three P.V. examinations of women in labour on their admission to hospital.
II. Following cases through. No opportunity whatsoever is given the stu- dent of following through even one midwifery case. Consequently, he comes to look upon the mother rather as a machine for expelling a foetus than as a case to be studied as she would be in any general hospital. It must surely be possible that each student should be enabled to follow at least a few cases right through
—preferably from the antenatal clinic, certainly, anyway, from the examination of the woman at her admission, right through till her discharge from hospital
—usually eight days after delivery. At present students are forbidden to enter any ward (other than the labour ward) unless escorted by a resident. This means that they actually enter the midwifery department wards about twice during their stay of twenty days, and that they have no opportunity properly to study individual cases during the puerparium. Instead, towards the end of the course there are demonstrated to them vulval pads typical of each of the eight days succeeding delivery, some typical charts, and a few markedly atypical
(septic) cases. The normal mother is never seen after her delivery.
III. Lectures on practical obstetrics. These are good, and of great value, as, too, are the few (usually about three) demonstrations of charts and so on in the wards.
IV. Post-mortem examinations. No notification is made to students of the time of these examinations, and they are consequently almost invariably missed.
V. How one's time is spent. There is spare time in excess, but no oppor- tunity is given to spend it in the wards. An average of two or three hours daily can be spent in the gynaecology theatre or at antenatal clinics. The rest hangs heavily. Bookwork one finds almost impossible. Were it not that the student might miss an odd abnormal case, it would certainly be preferable that four students should stay on for ten days, rather than eight for twenty, as at present.
In concluding, I would like to thank the medical superintendent (Dr. Saltau) for his work on behalf of and his helpful attitude towards all students passing through the hospital.—Yours,
ALFRED N. JACOBS.
Ormond College, September. 29, 1924.
The Editor, "The Speculum."
Dear Sir.—I have read with interest, an article under the heading, "The Criminal," in the last issue of the "Speculum."
Your contributor makes much of the proposal to sterilise or segregate those
"unfitted to be parents," meaning, presumably, that all those individuals whose
mentality does not reach a certain standard should be prevented from reproducing their kind. Suppose this is carried into effect. As time passes, the average standard of the community is raised, and consequently the standard to which an individual must attain is raised also. The logical extension is towards the estab- lishment of a restricted and specialised class, whose function is the population of the country.
Two factors make this impracticable : It is well known that inter-breeding amongst a restricted class results in a lowered standard in the offspring ; and a democratic community cannot exist where the family does not form its basis, the descendants of a specialised populating class become, for the most part, merely scattered entities.
It would seem, therefore, that segregation or sterilisation can only be regarded as a temporary measure.
Again, your contributor apparently tacitly assumes that Murray's anti- social behaviour betokened a "flaw in his mental equipment." While most criminals are admittedly subnormal, yet the most dangerous men in the social sense are those who, being well educated, turn their talents against society. Can this be said to be a "flaw," one that prevents them inhibiting their anti-social tendencies ?
We believe that upon the degree of development of the supra-granular layer depends the educatability of the individual, and also his ability to inhibit his desires--i.e., will-power, so-called. Should not these characteristics then run parallel ? That they do not is well known, and it is for that reason that intelli- gence tests must fail to reveal in some cases individuals whose activities will be depredative in subsequent life. Murray, one gathers, was comparatively well educated, and therefore any system of intelligence tests would not single him out, nor his parents either, as unfitted to reproduce his kind.
Finally, one must consider the possibility of an insufficient cortico-thalamic connection to account for the apparent anomaly of the combination of high education and anti-social behaviour, as evidenced in this case. May it not be that this linking of the cortex and thalamus was insufficient, due to methods of education that failed to stress the importance of the inhibition of instinctive desires, or that a reversion of impulses to the primitive path through the thalamus had occurred in consequence of disease ?
One feels that it all boils down to a question of education. Methods of instilling knowledge are comparatively efficient ; those designed to self-control woefully deficient. The suggestions of sterilisation and segregation are admis- sions that we are not yet clever enough to make use of much of the poor human material that comes into the world. It is to be hoped that in the near future know- ledge of the properties, establishment and maintenance of the neuronic arc will he such that some eminently practicable scheme may be devised to secure what in a civilised community is the most necessary, and at the same time most feebly developed, characteristic of mankind—self-control.--Yours, etc.,
EGBERT.
The Editor- , "The Speculum."
Dear Sir,—I was very greatly interested by the article entitled "The Criminal" in the last issue, and feel that. I should like to meet your contributor,
"N.l3.W." He seems to me to be the kind of gay dog—full of joie-de-vivre and sang-froid and what not—who should secure an immense and immediate success