Dr. Flinn Flashcards
[GRACE]
Dr. Flinn, it’s awful nice of you to come all this way.
Not at all, my dear, not at all.
[GRACE]
I told the surgeon you was comin’ over here, so he gave me the results of my blood work.
Excellent!
(He looks over the papers.)
[GRACE]
And, so?
I must say, Miss Fryer. Your blood looks better than mine.
[GRACE]
It does?
That’s what happens to an old man who smokes. Now, tell me what else is troubling you.
[GRACE]
My feet and back, mostly. I’ve had to wear a brace for a while.
So I see. And this started before you left the company, or after?
[GRACE]
After I left. Dr. Knef says this all has to do with the radium plant. I know another girl from the plant who died from it. Irene Rudolph?
Oh yes! Terrible thing. Vincent’s angina.
[GRACE]
What’s that?
That’s an ulcerated condition of the mouth, my dear.
[GRACE]
From the radium?
Oh, no, no, no. An unfortunate and rare result of poor dental care. So let this be a lesson to you: Always brush your teeth.
[GRACE]
There was something else in the paper about this— About other girls who got sick—one girl I worked with for a while—she’s in the hospital in New York and the doctors don’t know what to do. They never seems anything like it—
Miss Fryer! Don’t tell me you pay attention to the papers! Those stories are not scientific!
[GRACE]
But—
Reporters are not scientific. They do not follow scientific methods. They write to sell, not to educate. The scientist is not concerned with what sells. He is concerned with the truth. He undertakes years of painstaking study to arrive at an understanding of intricate natural processes that most people could never presume to comprehend! You would do well to listen to science and ignore the nonsense that is printed in the newspapers. Because I can tell you right now—radium has nothing to do with what’s ailing you.
[GRACE]
It doesn’t?
Not in the least.
[GRACE]
Then what is ailin’ me?
Poor diet, Miss Fryer. Poor diet
[GRACE]
But Dr. Knef said—
Dr. Knef is a dentist. Not a physician. What you have is a vitamin deficiency. You must eat more fresh fruit.
[GRACE]
Hard to do in the Winter.
And raw meat as well. That will help with the anemia. Raw calves liver, particularly. Cook if you must. But eat twice a week. At a minimum. (GRACE reaches for her wallet.) No, no, no. I’m a scientist, Miss Fryer, and I take a purely scientific interest in this situation. By allowing me to examine you—you are helping me to advance my own studies. I thank you. (FLINN hands GRACE a business card.) Call me anytime. Day or night.
[GRACE]
Okay, Dr. Flinn. Thanks
Happy to be of service my dear. (GRACE shakes FLINN’s hand and FLINN crosses to ROEDER in his office as GRACE studies the business card.)
Cross to ROEDER
[GRACE]
That’s not a real doctor!
My findings, Mr. Roeder.
[ROEDER]
An objective evaluation I trust?
The source of my funding has no bearing on my research.
[GRACE]
And I let that fella examine me!
I never examined her, per se. It was not a medical examination per se.
[ROEDER]
Nevertheless you were able to offer her some useful advice.
I did my best for her.
[ROEDER]
And how are you doing on the rest of the report?
The animal studies I conducted reveal no adverse effects from radium. The problem, as you suspected, is one of personal hygiene only.
[ROEDER]
I am most grateful, Dr. Flinn. But I am particularly grateful to hear that the young lady you examined is doing so much better.
Didn’t examine her, no, no. I merely consulted with her.
[ROEDER]
All the same. She is doing much better, isn’t that so?
From what I could see, Mr. Roeder, she appears to be on the road to recovery.
[ROEDER]
Excellent!
Here is my statement of fees and expenses.
