Mrs.Lester’s refusal to let Adrian interfere in what was appearing to be a much busier day at the hospital than what he’d initially thought made more sense.“With that in mind, I believe you should give Mrs.Lester some leeway.She was right not to let me insist on a meeting under these circumstances.”
Surprise slackened Wentworth’s features and for a second he seemed to be at a loss for words.He then cleared his throat and said, “Nevertheless, we’re here now, so please let me know how I’m able to help.”
Adrian leaned back in his seat, arms crossed.“What’s your opinion of Melroy?”
“He’s an excellent surgeon.I have the greatest respect for him.”
“And as a man?”
Wentworth hesitated and it became clear that he was unsure of how to respond.Eventually he said, “If I ever need a surgeon, I’d prefer a cantankerous one who knows what he’s doing to one who’s pleasant but prone to mistakes.”
“Yet you are both pleasant and capable, proving that one does not exclude the other.”
“While I appreciate the compliment, there’s a reason why Melroy’s the only British surgeon to replicate Francisco Romero’s open pericardiostomy.”
“I’ve no idea what that is,” Adrian said.
“It’s a fairly daring approach to the treatment of pericardial effusions.That is to say, the buildup of fluid around the heart.”
“And by open you mean…”
“Exactly what it implies.The surgeon opens up the chest, acquiring the access he needs in order to drain the fluid.”
“Dear God.”
Wentworth chuckled.“This profession requires grit, Mr.Croft.It’s not for the faint of heart, if you’ll pardon the pun.”
Adrian fought the shudder that came with imagining what it must be like for the poor patient.The pain involved.Unimaginable.He prayed he would never have to endure such a thing.
“Why is Melroy the only British surgeon to have done it?”
“First, it’s an aggressive procedure with a high risk of mortality.Should the patient perish, their death will no doubt be blamed on the surgeon.Second, The Society of the School of Medicine in Paris has actively tried to silence Romero’s work.The only reason Melroy knows the technique is because it was presented during his academic visit to Paris.”
“Sounds like he’s the forward-thinking sort,” Adrian mused.
“Most of my colleagues believe in medical advancements.We’ve made great strides in recent years though we’ve still got our work cut out for us when it comes to general physicians, many of whom continue to advocate blood-letting.Especially when they’re stumped by an ailment.We’re trying to convince them to offer such patients a second opinion here, but we’re mostly met by stubborn refusal.As awful as it is, few physicians want to relinquish the coin a patient provides.”
“You make it sound like they’re not much better than barber surgeons.”
Wentworth snorted.“Now there’s a bunch of wrongdoers the world would be much better off without.”
Deciding to return to the point of their conversation, Adrian asked, “What about Doctor Ashburry?”
He’d met the man only once and while he’d found him capable, he couldn’t dismiss the fact that he was the one who’d reported Mr.Booker’s death to Adrian and Samantha.Afterhe’d gone off to find him.This had taken several minutes, during which it had been possible for Ashburry to kill the man first, then pretend to help Adrian get to the bottom of the matter.
“Likable fellow,” Wentworth said.“He and I often take luncheon together.”
“He’s not a surgeon though,” Adrian mused, “so he’s not as skilled as Melroy.”
“No one is.But Ashburry still knows his stuff.All the physicians working here do or they’d get the boot.Unlike other establishments, we’ve no room for undeserved arrogance.And if it turns out a physician or surgeon does not know his stuff, we make sure to get the word out.”
“Really?”
“Reports are issued quarterly and sent to all other hospitals, informing them of any advancements we’ve made.It also warns against hiring people we’ve marked as dangerous.”
A knock sounded and the door opened before Wentworth had time to say more.Mrs.Burns, with whom Adrian was familiar, appeared, her face flushed and her breaths ragged.“Forgive the interruption but there’s a woman with a partially severed finger.I need your help.”
Wentworth muttered a few hasty words as he leapt to his feet and rushed out the door, leaving Adrian alone in his office.He’d known the physician for years.Wentworth had either treated or advised his servants and their family members whenever the need had arisen.Adrian liked him, but that didn’t mean he should blindly trust the man.
