Strong Medicine Read Free

Andrew glanced at a Newark
    Star-Ledger. Prominent on the newspaper's front page was a report about
    something called "Sputnik"-an earth satellite, whatever that might be,
    which the Russians had recently shot into outer space amid fanfare
    heralding "the dawn of a new space age." While President Eisenhower,
    according to the news story, was expected to order speedup of a U.S. space
    program, American scientists were "shocked and humiliated" by the Russians'
    technological lead. Andrew hoped some of the shock would spill over into
    medical science. Though good progress had been made during the twelve years
    since World War II, there were still so many depressing gaps, unanswered
    questions.
    Discarding the newspaper, he picked up a copy of Medical Economics, a
    magazine that alternately amused and fascinated him. It was said to be the
    publication read most avidly by doctors, who gave it more attention than
    even the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
    Medical Economics had a basic function-to instruct doctors in ways to earn
    the maximum amount of money and, when they had it, how to invest or spend
    it. Andrew began reading an article: "Eight Ways to Minimize Your Taxes in
    Private Practice." He supposed he should try to understand such things
    because handling money, when a doctor finally got to earn some after years
    of training, was something else they didn't teach in medical school. Since
    joining Dr. Townsend's practice a year and a half ago, Andrew had been
    startled at how much cash flowed monthly into his bank ac-

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count. It was a new and not unpleasant experience. Although he had no
    intention of letting money dominate him, just the same . . .
    "Excuse me, Doctor."
    A woman's voice. Andrew turned his head.
    "I went to your office, Dr. Jordan. When you weren't there, I decided to
    try the hospital."
    Dammit! It was the same drug company saleswoman who had been in his office
    yesterday. She was wearing a raincoat, which was soaked. Her brownish hair
    hung dripping wet, and her glasses were steamed. Of all the gall-to barge
    in here!
    "You seem to be unaware," he said, "that this is a private lounge. Also I
    don't see salespeople-"
    She interrupted. "At the hospital. Yes, I know. But I thought this was
    important enough." With a series of quick movements she put down an attach~
    case, removed her glasses to wipe them, and began taking off the raincoat.
    "It's miserable out. I got soaked crossing the parking lot."
    "What's important?"
    The saleswoman-he observed again that she was young, probably no more than
    twenty-four-tossed the raincoat onto a chair. She spoke slowly and
    carefully.
    ~Ammonia, Doctor. Yesterday you told me you had a hepatitis patient who was
    dying from ammonia intoxication. You said you wished-"
    "I know what I said."
    The saleswoman regarded him levelly with clear gray-green eyes. Andrew was
    aware of a strong personality. She wasn't what you'd call pretty, he
    thought, though she had a pleasing, high-cheekboned face; with her hair
    dried and combed she would probably look good. And with the raincoat Off,
    her figure wasn't bad.
    "No doubt you do, Doctor, and I'm sure your memory is better than your
    manners." As he started to say something, she stopped him with an impatient
    gesture. "What I didn't-couldn't-tell you yesterday is that my company,
    Felding-Roth, has been working for four years on a drug to reduce ammonia
    production by intestinal bacteria, a drug that would be useful in a crisis
    situation like your patient's. I knew about it, but not how far our
    research people had gone."
    "I'm glad to hear someone's trying," Andrew said, "but I still don't see-"
    "You will if you listen. " The saleswoman pushed back several
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strands of wet hair which had fallen forward on her face. "What they've
    developed-it's called Lotrcrmycin-has been used successfully on animals. Now
    it's ready for human testing. I was able to get some Lotromycin. I've
    brought it with