Madam, – Frank McNally is a bit hard in blaming matrons for limiting their description of patients to “comfortable”, “stable”, “serious”, or “critical” (An Irishman’s Diary, October 6th).
When I was the medical superintendent of a hospital in the tropics I tried to give inquiring journalists a fair description of a young man who had been lost in dense jungle during the rainy season. He was suffering from exposure and had not eaten for several days. His skin was covered with bites, sores and leeches.
I said that while his life was not in danger he was extremely uncomfortable.
Newspapers, television and radio duly reported him as being “comfortable”. – Yours, etc,