- Email: [email protected]
DR. LEONARD WILLIAMS
THE 13LACIi-OLT :
in the first instance to the 1B1.0. in charge of Malaita Therapy Centre, Horton Hospital, Epsom, Horn whom the necessary application forms for admission can be obtained (Telephone number Epsom 9872). I am, Sir, yours faithfully, W. W. NICOL, Medical Superintendent, Horton Hospital. THE BLACK-OUT : HABIT AND STALENESS
must all do our best to make the blackout effective for its purpose. The Prime Minister says that the restrictions are required on strategic grounds and are the result of long experiments by the R.A.F. They are " for the moment inev itable " ; "preparations for blacking-out at the last minute would be too late " ; " lighting in remote areas would be a signpost to built-up areas." Changes cannot easily be made " until actual air-raid experience " has been gained. At the same time we have already some relaxation as to hand torches and masks for headlamps. It seems to me most important that the black-out should still be under day-to-day consideration and should even be subjected to further experiments by the R.A.F. The state of affairs in the sky must not be divorced from that on the ground. Living in a country district, I am perhaps naturally more concerned with the latter at the moment. With short days approaching, a certain amount of transport must move after dark. For instance, our food comes entirely from a big London stores, at present on five days a week, in future on two. Can their staff complete their round in two-fifths of the time without risk of breakdown in health of the drivers if the strain of moving after dark is substantial ? Similarly, can doctors perform their essential duties ?’? Special care is now needed by day and night on the roads owing to the increase of bicycles ; in my locality they are sold out. They are an additional difficulty to motor drivers. Children must somehow or other be fetched from schools. Schools will probably close early, but my children have to go 5 miles, and with reduced train and bus services and a walk of 2 miles at one end and 1-1 miles at the other, it is going to be a hard them home before dark. job to At first sight, it seems sound sense to tell people to keep off the roads unless they have urgent errands. But the morale of the population must be maintained, and people can hardly be expected to be kept in isolation indefinitely from friends, relatives and entertainments after the day’s work. Some evening family meetings for bridge or even gossip will ease the difficulties of economising in fuel and light (you come to me once a week and vice versa). I suppose it is impossible to the harassed householder any standards. If he has darkish curtains, no shaft of light shows ; at, say, 10 yards you could tell there was a light behind the curtains, but not at 30. Does this really matter ?’? The evenings have to be passed somehow, and many people are now trying to read and sew by inefficient light. There is still another point which demands consideration. No doubt it was imperative to make householders and the users of cars expert in the prophylactic measures necessary in an air-raid, but that knowledge having been inculcated (and incidentally all the more light-hearted traffic having been ruled out of the is there not a risk that the maintenance of strict precautions over a long waiting period will defeat its own end’’ Will not slackness and carelessness arise ?’? And would it not now be better to relax the code, on the
understanding that it is instantly and automatically applied in the face of danger-? Habit and fatigue are not subjects new to the industrial psychologist. Is it not possible that in the work of the Industrial Fatigue Research Board and its successor, a useful precedent may be found ?’? If psychologists can answer these questions in advance of actual and possibly painful experience, so much the better. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, COUNTRY GLOW-WORM.
SiR,-We
get
give
running),
715
HABIT AND STALEXESS
DR. CHARLES MILLER
of the staff of University College writes : " In 1937 our hospital was faced with the retirement of its only remaining physician of mature years. The desire to obtain the experience and stability of a senior man was translated into an invitation to Charles Miller to become senior physician for what would have amounted to 3t years until he reached the usual retiring age. It was not expected that his appointment would call for any great effort on his own part, and it was hoped that his matm e judgment would in itself be sufficient justification for this unusual invitation. But Miller proved to be very much more than a mature mind ; his drive, his personality and his kindness quickly secured for him an affection that could not have been greater had he devoted his whole life to the hospital. He never missed his ward rounds or outpatient clinics and returned to the problems of teaching with great enthusiasm ; his attendance at committees was regular and his opinion always frankly expressed. Dr. Miller had an almost uncanny habit of scenting out clandestine wrongs, and bringing them into the open to put things right ; whether the matter affected nurses, patients or students he could not tolerate anything that was unjust or unkind. As senior physician in a strange school he may sometimes have felt his position to be difficult ; it is to be hoped that he realised to the full the affection which he so quickly achieved of colleagues, nurses and students. His experience and friendship were freely at the service of all his juniors, many of whom have reason to remember with gratitude his help and advice. His death has taken from us a much-loved man." A
MEMBER
Hospital
"
"
DR. LEONARD WILLIAMS "
With the death of Dr. Dr. AGNs SAVILL writes : Leonard Williams there has passed away a picturesque personality who will be sadly misled by a large circle of fxiends and patients. The public knew him by his emphatic views on diet and his scathing denunciations of the over-athletic and bedizened examples of modern girlhood who neglected the finer qualities of womanhood which he held in veneration. He never hesitated to nay his opponents with a peculiarly pungent pen, but even his victims enjoyed the perusal of their castigation in witty and beautiful prose. He had the artist’s appreciation of beauty, particularly in the choice of words and phrase in writing and in oratory. His naturally beautiful speaking voice added to the attraction of his stimulating conversation and public speeches. The latter, often given in French and German, and always with unhesitating eloquence. used to captivate his medical audience. Because he lived beyond the allotted span it is now forgotten that he was a pioneer : several years before the late war he introduced small doses of thyroid and other endocrine glands and became a strenuous advocate of the use of raw and fresh foods. What has become a commonplace to-day was advocated by Dr. Williams many years before science had heard of the vitamin content of such a diet."
in the first instance to the 1B1.0. in charge of Malaita Therapy Centre, Horton Hospital, Epsom, Horn whom the necessary application forms for admission can be obtained (Telephone number Epsom 9872). I am, Sir, yours faithfully, W. W. NICOL, Medical Superintendent, Horton Hospital. THE BLACK-OUT : HABIT AND STALENESS
must all do our best to make the blackout effective for its purpose. The Prime Minister says that the restrictions are required on strategic grounds and are the result of long experiments by the R.A.F. They are " for the moment inev itable " ; "preparations for blacking-out at the last minute would be too late " ; " lighting in remote areas would be a signpost to built-up areas." Changes cannot easily be made " until actual air-raid experience " has been gained. At the same time we have already some relaxation as to hand torches and masks for headlamps. It seems to me most important that the black-out should still be under day-to-day consideration and should even be subjected to further experiments by the R.A.F. The state of affairs in the sky must not be divorced from that on the ground. Living in a country district, I am perhaps naturally more concerned with the latter at the moment. With short days approaching, a certain amount of transport must move after dark. For instance, our food comes entirely from a big London stores, at present on five days a week, in future on two. Can their staff complete their round in two-fifths of the time without risk of breakdown in health of the drivers if the strain of moving after dark is substantial ? Similarly, can doctors perform their essential duties ?’? Special care is now needed by day and night on the roads owing to the increase of bicycles ; in my locality they are sold out. They are an additional difficulty to motor drivers. Children must somehow or other be fetched from schools. Schools will probably close early, but my children have to go 5 miles, and with reduced train and bus services and a walk of 2 miles at one end and 1-1 miles at the other, it is going to be a hard them home before dark. job to At first sight, it seems sound sense to tell people to keep off the roads unless they have urgent errands. But the morale of the population must be maintained, and people can hardly be expected to be kept in isolation indefinitely from friends, relatives and entertainments after the day’s work. Some evening family meetings for bridge or even gossip will ease the difficulties of economising in fuel and light (you come to me once a week and vice versa). I suppose it is impossible to the harassed householder any standards. If he has darkish curtains, no shaft of light shows ; at, say, 10 yards you could tell there was a light behind the curtains, but not at 30. Does this really matter ?’? The evenings have to be passed somehow, and many people are now trying to read and sew by inefficient light. There is still another point which demands consideration. No doubt it was imperative to make householders and the users of cars expert in the prophylactic measures necessary in an air-raid, but that knowledge having been inculcated (and incidentally all the more light-hearted traffic having been ruled out of the is there not a risk that the maintenance of strict precautions over a long waiting period will defeat its own end’’ Will not slackness and carelessness arise ?’? And would it not now be better to relax the code, on the
understanding that it is instantly and automatically applied in the face of danger-? Habit and fatigue are not subjects new to the industrial psychologist. Is it not possible that in the work of the Industrial Fatigue Research Board and its successor, a useful precedent may be found ?’? If psychologists can answer these questions in advance of actual and possibly painful experience, so much the better. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, COUNTRY GLOW-WORM.
SiR,-We
get
give
running),
715
HABIT AND STALEXESS
DR. CHARLES MILLER
of the staff of University College writes : " In 1937 our hospital was faced with the retirement of its only remaining physician of mature years. The desire to obtain the experience and stability of a senior man was translated into an invitation to Charles Miller to become senior physician for what would have amounted to 3t years until he reached the usual retiring age. It was not expected that his appointment would call for any great effort on his own part, and it was hoped that his matm e judgment would in itself be sufficient justification for this unusual invitation. But Miller proved to be very much more than a mature mind ; his drive, his personality and his kindness quickly secured for him an affection that could not have been greater had he devoted his whole life to the hospital. He never missed his ward rounds or outpatient clinics and returned to the problems of teaching with great enthusiasm ; his attendance at committees was regular and his opinion always frankly expressed. Dr. Miller had an almost uncanny habit of scenting out clandestine wrongs, and bringing them into the open to put things right ; whether the matter affected nurses, patients or students he could not tolerate anything that was unjust or unkind. As senior physician in a strange school he may sometimes have felt his position to be difficult ; it is to be hoped that he realised to the full the affection which he so quickly achieved of colleagues, nurses and students. His experience and friendship were freely at the service of all his juniors, many of whom have reason to remember with gratitude his help and advice. His death has taken from us a much-loved man." A
MEMBER
Hospital
"
"
DR. LEONARD WILLIAMS "
With the death of Dr. Dr. AGNs SAVILL writes : Leonard Williams there has passed away a picturesque personality who will be sadly misled by a large circle of fxiends and patients. The public knew him by his emphatic views on diet and his scathing denunciations of the over-athletic and bedizened examples of modern girlhood who neglected the finer qualities of womanhood which he held in veneration. He never hesitated to nay his opponents with a peculiarly pungent pen, but even his victims enjoyed the perusal of their castigation in witty and beautiful prose. He had the artist’s appreciation of beauty, particularly in the choice of words and phrase in writing and in oratory. His naturally beautiful speaking voice added to the attraction of his stimulating conversation and public speeches. The latter, often given in French and German, and always with unhesitating eloquence. used to captivate his medical audience. Because he lived beyond the allotted span it is now forgotten that he was a pioneer : several years before the late war he introduced small doses of thyroid and other endocrine glands and became a strenuous advocate of the use of raw and fresh foods. What has become a commonplace to-day was advocated by Dr. Williams many years before science had heard of the vitamin content of such a diet."