Strong Medicine (9 page)

anesthesia. Also, I want no episiotomy."

Keating's smile changed to a frown. "My dear Mrs. Jordan, both those

decisions must be taken by your obstetrician during delivery. "

"I disagree," Celia said quietly and calmly. "If I concede that, I'm likely

to be overruled at a moment when I'm not at my best."

"What if there's an emergency?"

"That's entirely different. If it happened, obviously you'd have to

exercise judgment and do what was needed. But afterward you would have to

satisfy me, and also Andrew, that an emergency had existed."

Dr. Keating grunted noncommittally, then said, "Concerning an

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episiotomy. You may not realize that cutting the perineurn with surgical

scissors just before birth prevents a tear when the baby's head emerges-a

tear that is painful and heals less easily than a clean surgical cut."

"Oh, I do realize that," Celia said. "And I'm sure you're equally aware

of the increasing number of doctors and nurse-midwives who disagree with

that view."

Ignoring the obstetrician's growing disapproval, Celia added, "There are

plenty of recorded cases where natural tears have healed quickly, whereas

episiotomies have not, and have produced infections or months of

postpartum pain, or both."

Dr. Keating regarded her dourly. "You seem to know all the answers."

"Not at all," Celia assured him. "It's just that it's my body and my

baby."

"Speaking of your body," the obstetrician said, "I'll point out that

although it is not the purpose of an episiotomy, the sewing up afterward

does maintain vaginal tightness."

"Yes," Celia acknowledged, "I'm aware that vaginal tightness is for the

pleasure of my future sex partner. Well, doctor, I don't want any

complaints from my husband about a loose vagina, so after my baby is born

I'll do exercises to tighten the pelvic muscles."

Soon after, by mutual consent, Celia changed obstetricians and became the

patient of Dr. Eunice Nashman, who was older than Dr. Keating but young

enough in mind to share many of Celia's ideas.

Subsequent to Lisa's birth Eunice Nashman confided to Andrew, "Your wife

is a remarkable woman. There were moments when she was in great pain and

I asked if she wanted to change her mind about anesthesia."

Andrew, who had intended to be present at the birth but was called away

by a medical emergency involving one of his own patients, asked

curiously, "What did she say?"

Dr. Nashman answered, "She just said, 'No, but someone please hold me.'

So one of the nurses put her arms around your wife and comforted her, and

that was all she needed.

"Then, when your daughter was born, we didn't take the baby away, as

usually happens, but just left her lying with Celia, and the two of them

together were so at peace it was beautiful to sec."

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As she had said she would, Celia took a year off from work to give her

attention and love to Lisa. She also used the time to continue organizing

their Convent Station house, which proved to be everything she had foreseen

and promised. "I do love it," Andrew observed glowingly one day.

' At the same time Celia kept in touch with Felding-Roth. Sam Hawthorne had

moved upward to become assistant national sales manager and had promised

Celia a job when she was ready to return.

The year was a good one for Felding-Roth Pharmaceuticals, Inc. A few months

after the publicity concerning Dr. Andrew Jordan's dramatic use of

Lotromycin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for

marketing. Lotromycin went on to become successful and praised worldwide,

and one of the more profitable products in Felding-Roth's history. Celia's

own contribution to the Lotromycin launch caused executives of the company

to endorse Sam Hawthorne's willingness to have her return.

Beyond the company, in terms of history, 1959 was not a spectacular year.

Alaska became a state in January, Hawaii in July, To the north, during

April, the St. Lawrence Seaway opened. In May, Israel's Premier David

Ben-Gurion promised the world that his country would seek peace with its

Arab neighbors. Later the same month two monkeys made a 300-mile-high space

flight aboard a U.S. army missile, and survived. It was hoped that humans

might someday do the same.

One outside event which aroused Celia's attention was a series of hearings,

begun during December, by a U.S. Senate subcommittee chaired by Senator

Estes Kefauver. During earlier hearings about crime the senator, a

Tennessee democrat with presidential ambitions, had gained wide attention

and was hungry for more of the same. The target at the new hearings was the

pharmaceutical industry.

Most industry officials dismissed Kefauver as a nuisance, but unimportant.

The industry's Washington lobby was strong; no longterm effect was

expected. Celia, though confiding her opinion only to Andrew, disagreed.

Finally, late in the year, Celia resumed her duties as a detail woman,

again with her sales territory in New Jersey. Through contacts at St.

Bede's she had found an elderly retired nurse who came to the house daily

and took care of Lisa. Typically, Celia tested the

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arrangement, by going on an out-of-town trip with Andrew and leaving the

older woman in charge. It worked well.

Celia's mother, Mildred, occasionally visited from Philadelphia and

enjoyed filling in, and getting to know her granddaughter, when the daily

nurse was away.

Mildred and Andrew were on excellent terms, and Celia became closer to

her mother as time went by, sharing an intimacy they had rarely known in

earlier years. One reason, perhaps, was that Celia's younger sister,

Janet, was far away-in the Trucial Sheikdomshaving married an oil company

geologist, now busy overseas.

Thus, with support from several sources Celia and Andrew were once more

able to take pleasure in their separate careers.

In the case of Andrew's career, only one thing marred it slightly, and

just how important that worry was, Andrew himself was uncertain. It

concerned Noah Townsend.

Andrew's senior partner had, over a handful of widely separated

occasions, exhibited what could have been signs of emotional instability.

Or perhaps, when Andrew thought about it, bizarre behavior was a more

accurate description. What puzzled Andrew was that both characteristics

were alien to the nature of the older, dignified physician as Andrew had

observed it day by day.

There were three incidents that Andrew knew of.

One was when Noah, during a conversation in his office with Andrew,

became impatient because of a telephone call that interrupted him. After

a brusque response to the call, he yanked the telephone cord from the

wall and hurled the instrument across the office where it hit a file

cabinet and broke. Then Noah continued talking as if nothing had

happened.

Next day a replacement telephone was on Noah's desk-, the fate of the old

one was never mentioned.

Some six weeks later Andrew was in Noah's car, with Noah driving.

Suddenly, to Andrew's horror, they were hurtling through Morristown with

the accelerator floored, skidding around corners, and going through a red

light. Andrew shouted a warning, but Noah appeared not to hear. Through

extraordinary luck, no accident occurred, and they raced into St. Bede's

parking lot, then slid to a halt with a screech of tires. While Andrew

was protesting, Noah just shrugged-and the next time Andrew observed Noah

driving, it was at a safe speed with normal caution.

A third incident, again widely separated from the others, but the

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most distressing, involved their office receptionist-secretary, Mrs.

Parsons, who had worked for Noah for many years, long before Andrew's

arrival. True, Violet Parsons in her mid-sixties was slowing down and was

occasionally forgetful. But it was seldom about anything important, and she

was good with patients, who liked her. She and Andrew got along well, and

her devotion to Noah-close to adoration-was an in-house joke.

Until an incident about a check.

In preparing one for payment of office supplies, Violet made an error. The

invoice was for forty-five dollars. She reversed the figures, made out the

check for fifty-four dollars, and left it on Noah's desk for him to sign.

In practical terms it didn't matter, since the extra amount would have

appeared as a credit on the following month's bill.

But Noah stormed into the reception area with the check in his hand and

shouted at Violet Parsons, "You stupid bitch! Are you trying to ruin me by

giving away my money?"

Andrew, who happened to be entering the office at that moment, could hardly

believe what he was hearing. Nor, it seemed, could Violet, who stood up and

replied with dignity, "Dr. Townsend, I have never been spoken to in that

manner before, and do not intend to have it happen again. I am leaving now

and will not be back."

When Andrew tried to intervene, Noah snapped, "Stay out of this!" And

Violet said, "Thank you Dr. Jordan, but I no longer work here."

Next day Andrew tried to bring up the subject with Noah, but the older man

merely growled, "She wasn't doing her job. I've hired someone else; she

starts tomorrow."

If the incidents had been less isolated or more frequent, Andrew might have

had greater concern. But, he reasoned, as everyone grew older the pressures

of work and daily living could cause tensions to erupt and tempers fray. It

was, after all, a human characteristic. Andrew himself felt those pressures

at times, with a resultant edginess which he contained. Noah, it seemed,

had not contained his.

Still, the incidents troubled Andrew.

Celia's career activities were more upbeat.

In February 1960, on a day when she had left her sales territory to

transact some business at Felding-Roth headquarters, Sam Hawthorne summoned

her to his office. Sam was in a relaxed mood and

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greeted Celia cordially. His new responsibilities in national sales did

not appear to be wearing him down, she thought-a good sign. Also, in view

of her own long-term plans, an optimistic one. Sam's hair, though, was

noticeably thinner; by his fortieth birthday, now a year away, he would

probably be bald, though the look seemed to suit him.

"I wanted to see you about the national sales meeting," he announced.

Celia already knew that Felding-Roth's biennial sales convention would

be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York in April. While private

and closed to outsiders, the affair was attended by all company sales

people in the United States, plus officers of FeldingRoth subsidiaries

abroad. As well, the chairman, president and other senior eKecutives

would be present during the three-day proceedings.

"I'm expecting to be there," Celia said. "I hope you're not going to tell

me it's for men only."

"Not only is it not men only, but the top brass want you to be one of the

speakers."

"I'll do it," Celia said.