A Memorable Patient

The few of us who examined 2 years of correspondence before Mr. J.'s arrival at Massachusetts General Hospital were even more interested in meeting the man than in validating the exotic diagnosis we had made from his letters.

Herman J., a native of Rumney, New Hampshire, announced himself to us in March 1958, using a lined sheet of paper, green ink, and handwriting from an earlier century. His request triggered a series of remarkable exchanges with Dr. Charles Clay, our hospital's assistant director at the time. Charlie Clay had grown up in rural New Hampshire within a few miles of Mr. J. Their extensive correspondence occupies a thick section of a hospital record that is still in my hands. The following excerpts depict its contents, as well as the improbable relationship that built between the two men.

“Gentlemen,” began Mr. J.'s first letter, “I would be pleased to have a little information. What would the cost be for a Appendix Operation if it becomes neccessary? I asked them at Laconia Hospital here in N.H. an I find that nobody can afford to play around with them. I don't have their kind of money at all. Maybe a poor man is supposed to die.

Enclosed find a stamp for reply.

Yours sincerely,

Herman J”

Within a day, Charlie Clay crafted a reply. (He also penned a brief inquiry to a friend in the region who soon informed him that Mr. J. was a loner who tinkered with guns, sold newspapers, took on odd jobs, and paid his bills on time.)

“Dear Mr. J.,

Our regular ward rate is $28.00 for the first day, $26 for the second, $24 for the third, and $21 a day thereafter, with operating rooms, anesthesia, x-ray and other special services added.” After …