"Stanley G. Weinbaum - Graph" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weinbaum Stanley G)

GRAPH
тАЬYOU'RE ON THE MEND AGAIN," said Dr. Felix Kurtius, tossing his black case carelessly
on the desk. "Let's see how permanent it is this time!"
Isaac Levinson тАФ mail-order Levinson тАФ rolled down his sleeve and stared sardonically at the
doctor.
"Thanks," he growled. "I've heard that before."
"You're feeling better, aren't you?"
The merchandise king nodded reluctantly, staring about his elaborate office. "Sure," he said. "But for
how long? And anyway, why don't you do something? Is this the new medical practice тАФ to let a patient
get well by himself? For that I don't need a doctor!"
"I gave you my suggestions," retorted Kurtius. "Three and a half years ago тАФ when you first called
me тАФ I told you what to do. Don't blame me because you refuse to follow my advice."
"Vacations!" sneered Levinson. "Rest тАФ change тАФ travel тАФretire! Could I leave my business with
conditions like they were?"
"You certainly could! What's a little more money to you тАФ or a little less?"
"Money тАФ bah! It's my business that needs me."
"Same thing."
"No," said Levinson abruptly. "Not the same thing! My stockholders, my employees, I have
obligations to them. The business must be run right, or the one loses money and the other jobs. Could I
let some schlemiehl make a botch of things while I was telling how the biggest tarpon got away from me.
Oser!"
"Just excuses," observed Kurtius. "What you mean is that you didn't want to leave."
"Couldn't is what I said."
"Wouldn't is what you mean.'"
The doctor gestured at the fittings of his patient's office. "You don't mean to tell me you're so busy
that you haven't time to walk two blocks to my office, do you? тАФ Instead of having me call here to
examine you?"
Levinson silently indicated the welter of papers on his desk. "And that's what you've wedded to!"
scoffed Kurtius. "Charts, summaries, statistics." Any clerk could tabulate them for you."
''Charts and statistics," growled Levinson, "are the life-blood of my business."
"And your business is the life-blood of you!"
"Yet you want I should get away from it."
тАЬThat's my advice. No man can live year after year on his own blood. You can't; that's the whole
trouble with you. That's why medicine or operations are perfectly useless in your case."
"Bah!" Levinson was frowning again. "I have a notion that you doctors recommend the rest cure
when you don't know what's wrong. I don't want to rest; I want something that will put me in shape to
keep on working. I don't believe it's my business that's doing this to me; for twenty-five years I've lived,
eaten, slept, and dreamt this business, and never, until that first time I called you, have I felt an hour's
sickness. And now these damned spells тАФbetter, worse, better worse тАФ How could it be my
business?"
"Well," observed Kurtius, "there's no way of proving it to you. I've told you my diagnosis; that's all I
can do. You'll find out sooner or later that I am right."
"I don't believe it." said Levinson stubbornly.
"Well, as I said, there's no way of proving it to you."
"You doctors," continued Levinson, "spend your efforts treating symptoms instead of causes.
Because I am tired, I must go somewhere and rest; because I can't sleep, I must get out somewhere and
exercise; because I have no appetite, I must go away from my business! Why don't you find why I am
tired, and can't sleep or eat? I should run my business like that and in a year I'd be broke тАФ machullah!"
"Didn't you ever hear of functional disorders?" queried Kurtius mildly.
"Am I the doctor or you?"