I used to be a keen follower of
medical dramas, so I supposed that I would come across
something exciting in my explorations. I had the vague
idea of going to the second floor to try and see the
newborn babies in their bassinets, which is probably
the best part of visiting a hospital. I did not really
want to see a real emergency, because I have something
of a squeamish nature, and I would probably spend
the whole day feeling awful for the sick person rolled
in on a stretcher, clutching his heart or head or
whatever, and guilty that I was such a voyeur to someone
in a private moment of physical agony. I soon realized,
however, that the reality of the hospital is something
far different than what you see on television. The
hospital building featured in medical dramas might
as well appear on a commercial saying, " I am
not really a hospital, but I play one on TV".
The real hospital is a far more serious affair, because
the dramas that are played out behind its walls are
real. There is no need for artificial blood, actors
who pretend to be dead, screen stars who do not know
the difference between an aneurysm and allopecia.
There is no pretense here; its all real life and real
death, and that is something far more impressive then
those screen doctors who prance around and pretend
they are very important.
The first thing I noticed is
that real hospitals are very, very quite. Like libraries,
there is an atmosphere of hush in the whole place.
Everyone is silent, contemplating either their health
problems or the health problems of their loved one.
You will see a man in a squeaky wheel chair or a very
old person walking around accompanied by nurse
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