"Germiston Here I Come..."
Morris Hirsch jumped at the opportunity to be a resident medical officer at the much smaller Germiston Hospital offering him experience in Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics. It meant more responsibility and practical experience than he had enjoyed in the ENT and Surgical posts.
Morris Hirsch jumped at the opportunity to be a resident medical officer at the much smaller Germiston Hospital offering him experience in Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics. It meant more responsibility and practical experience than he had enjoyed in the ENT and Surgical posts.
The Jo'burg General Hospital Superintendent was furious. How could he abandon his alma mater when it needed him? He was the only houseman there with any experience. With mobilization taking off, doctors were now at a premium. Morris reminded him of his total lack of concern when he and colleagues, newly qualified, were desperate for a job start and had even asked to be assistant housemen without pay.
The three months Morris spent at Germiston Hospital were rewarding. Two consultants, Scotsmen, Kerr and Mackenzie, were particularly competent, forthcoming and encouraging. The hospital was comparatively small and fragmented in separate single storey buildings, relics of pioneer days (and a far cry from the massive concrete replacement that he found on a nostalgic visit after the war). But the equipment was modern and complete and the atmosphere cooperative, friendly and very personal. The living quarters housing the three residents were modern and spacious and the food much better than the Jo'burg Gen.
He only incident he remembers is a pretty teenager arriving one night with an ear all but torn off, hanging on by a fragment of the lobe. Father and mother were in great distress. She was a ballet protege and the father was driving the car. They doubted whether Morris could restore the damage. They hinted broadly they needed a specialist. He assured them he was quite capable of suturing the ear back in place. The sooner it was done the better the chance of a viable result. Seeking a plastic surgeon at that hour of the night would only mean delay.
They were free to consult any specialist after the emergency repair. They were relieved by watching his meticulous, fine stitching under local anesthetic, while they held her hands. Knowing the ears have a good blood supply, Morris reassured them, without giving a guarantee.
The result was a perfect healing. The fine suture line was hidden in the folds. The parents were ecstatic when the initial dressing was removed a week later. Her father was an affluent insurance company regional manager who wanted to pay Morris a fee. However, he accepted their gifts at a celebration dinner at their lavish Houghton home. His plastic surgery ambition was reinforced.
But, finally, he was called up. The War ended his brief association with the family.
The historical novel Whitewashed Jacarandas and its sequel Full of Possibilities are both available on Amazon as paperbacks and eBooks.
These books are inspired by Diana's family's experiences in small town Southern Rhodesia after WWII.
Dr. Sunny Rubenstein and his Gentile wife, Mavourneen, along with various town characters lay bare the racial arrogance of the times, paternalistic idealism, Zionist fervor and anti-Semitism, the proper place of a wife, modernization versus hard-won ways of doing things, and treatment of endemic disease versus investment in public health. It's a roller coaster read.
References:
Excerpt from Dr. Morris Isaac Hirsch's Unpublished Memoirs. Hirsch Archives.
Photo:
Contributed by Hermien du Plessis
eGGSA Post Card Collection. Germiston Municipal Offices 2e53a485e959049d29bdee112858ceae39b90e1b.scan0055_1300.jpg