a visit to the doctor short story

Summaries, Analysis & Lists

Medical Short Stories: Doctors, Patients, Medicine and Health

These medical short stories all feature a doctor, nurse, dentist or other medical professional as an important character, if not the main one. They could be interacting with patients as part of their regular work, or we could see them dealing with colleagues and superiors. Some are set in a doctor’s office or in a hospital. See also:

• Disease/Disability

Medical Short Stories

“dr. h. a. moynihan” by lucia berlin.

Lucia has to work in her Grandpa’s dental office through the summer. He’s a drinker, mean, proud and bigoted, but he’s the best dentist in West Texas, maybe all of Texas. One Sunday morning, Lucia is unexpectedly called in to work.

This story can be read in the preview of  A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories .

“Colloquy” by Shirley Jackson

Mrs. Arnold goes to a doctor and asks how to tell if someone is crazy. She then relates a story of her husband getting upset when he couldn’t get his daily paper.

This is the third story in the preview of  The Magic of Shirley Jackson .

“Mind and Body” by William Carlos Williams

A patient talks about her condition and her views. She doesn’t have much faith in doctors, because they haven’t been able to help her properly over the years. She believes in speaking her mind.

Some of “Mind and Body” can be read in the preview of  The Doctor Stories .

“Intrigues” by Anton Chekhov

Doctor Shelestov is getting ready for a meeting. He was involved in an incident and has to give an accounting of himself. He stands in front of the mirror, practicing an appropriate expression to show how unconcerned he is. He also plans on arriving late and feigning boredom as well.

This story is in  Chekhov’s Doctors: A Collection of Chekhov’s Medical Tales .

“The Case of Lady Sannox” by Arthur Conan Doyle

Douglas Stone was one of the most famous surgeons in England, and an all-round talented person. He had a lot of money and spent lavishly. He was infatuated with Lady Sannox, a very beautiful married woman. His pursuit of her was interrupted one evening by a visit from a stranger, Hamil Ali, from Smyrna. His wife had suffered an accident, and he persuaded Dr. Stone to come operate on her immediately.

This story can be read in the preview of  Capital Crimes: London Mysteries .  (15% in)

“First, Do No Harm” by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

Revati Jendra, known as a healer, is called to the scene of an injury by the Grennai. With it concealed in a cloth, she’s able to use her Starfleet medical scanner undetected. She returned to the planet over a year ago and has been in several Grennai settlements. She’s on a personal medical mission not sanctioned by Starfleet. When she returns home, there are some guests.

This story can be read in the preview of  Star Trek: The Original Series: Constellations Anthology .  (23% in)

“The Use of Force” by William Carlos Williams

A doctor makes a house call to examine a young girl. He finds that she has hidden the severity of her illness and she resists the examination, leading to a battle of wills. ( Summary and Analysis of “The Use of Force” )

Short Stories About Doctors or Medicine, Cont’d

“A Country Doctor” by Franz Kafka

A doctor experiences several surreal events when he’s called out during a winter’s night to treat a sick man.

“The Way We Live Now” by Susan Sontag

An unnamed man is showing symptoms of a disease, which turns out to be AIDS. His friends visit him in the hospital. They try to cheer him up, and they talk about his progress and behavior among themselves.

“A Day’s Wait” by Ernest Hemingway

A young boy has a temperature of a hundred and two. The doctor leaves three different pills and a schedule for taking them. His father attends to him while he stays in bed.

“The District Doctor” by Ivan Turgenev

A doctor makes an urgent house call where a beautiful young woman is in a bad condition. He tries to reassure her family even though a recovery is unlikely.

Read “The District Doctor”

“I Want to Live!” by Thom Jones

Mrs. Wilson finds out she has uterine and breast cancer. It’s also an irregular kind of cancer that will complicate the treatment. Her doctor is good but lacks bedside manner. She thinks about her options and copes with her ordeal.

“The Doctor’s Heroism” by Villiers De L’isle Adam

Doctor Hallidonhill is a renowned lung specialist with a steady stream of patients. One day a man in terrible condition comes to see him. He is tall, has enlarged pupils, is emaciated, and he’s looking for help.

“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” by   Nathaniel Hawthorne

A doctor claims to have water from the legendary Fountain of Youth. He invites four elderly acquaintances over for an experiment. He offers them a drink of the special water.

“The Doctor’s Son” by John O’Hara

There is an outbreak of influenza and Dr. Malloy is sick. His son, Jimmy, drives the replacement, the medical student Dr. Myers, on his rounds. One of the stops is Mrs. Evans, whom Dr. Myers is attracted to.

“Last Words” by J. P. Featherstone

A doctor recalls his experience at the deathbed of an elderly doctor. The old man gave his views on life and medicine, what’s important and what isn’t. He relates a particularly memorable experience with a young woman who he attended to. She was in a diabetic coma and recovered, which was a rarity in those days. He would occasionally check in on her until she was released. One day, she turned up at his office.

Read “Last Words” 

“Doc Mellhorn and the Pearly Gates” by Stephen Vincent Benét

When Doc Mellhorn dies, he’s surprised to find himself on the road again. He had served as a country doctor for about forty years, and many were alive because of him. People from all around came to his funeral. That’s when things got strange for Doc Mellhorn. He found himself driving his first car, a Model T, on a long road. Things felt a bit different.

Read “Doc Mellhorn and the Pearly Gates”

“The Enemy” by Pearl Buck

Dr. Sadao Hoki, who’s a surgeon, and his wife, Hana, live on the coast of Japan. Japan and America are at war. On a foggy night, the Hoki’s are out on the verandah. Through the mist, they see someone stagger out of the sea. Thinking he might be a lost fisherman, they run to him. To their surprise, and consternation, he’s a wounded white man—an escaped American prisoner of war. They don’t know what to do with him.

Read “The Enemy”

“Silver Water” by Amy Bloom

Violet tells the story of her sister Rose who suffers from schizophrenia and had her first psychotic break at fifteen. Rose is taken to many therapists with mixed results. When she goes to Dr. Thorne, she begins to make some progress.

“Lord Mountdrago” by W. Somerset Maugham

Dr. Audlin, an accomplished psychoanalyst, waits in his office for Lord Mountdrago, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Lord Mountdrago’s many good qualities are balanced by some major defects of character. He’s reluctant to tell Dr. Audlin why he’s come. He’s been having troubling dreams.

Read “Lord Mountdrago”

“The Good Doctor” by Adam Haslett

A psychiatrist makes a long drive to see a patient who’s been getting her prescriptions renewed by phone. He wants to engage her in some talk therapy and better understand her situation.

I’ll keep adding short stories about doctors, patients, medicine and health as I find more.

Going To The Doctor Social Story

This free “Going To The Doctor” social story will help you prepare your child for a visit to the doctor. A doctor visit is sometimes scary and increases anxiety for children with autism. This is because it is unfamiliar. Autistic children thrive on routine and consistency. Going to a new place, or somewhere they don’t go often is something different. It is so important to prepare them for this change. Social stories are a great way to help prepare your child! They give information about what is going to happen and can be read several times before the appointment. Bring the story with you to and review each step as you go through it.

Be sure to bring some favorite snacks and toys to help during times you have to wait. Waiting is so hard! Another idea for waiting is to bring a busy bag . A busy bag can be a small bag with a variety of small toys and objects in it. It should be novel, meaning that your child doesn’t play with it during a typical day. That way, it is exciting and captures their interest.

The Going To The Doctor social story can be combined with a portable visual schedule . A visual schedule can show a bigger overview of what is going to happen. For example, pictures of car, clinic, doctor, car, ice cream, home. Many times, seeing what is coming next can help the child get through the new event. You can also use a play doctor’s set to practice on each other and on stuffed animals at home.

Download the Free Going To The Doctor Story here .

If your child needs to get a vaccination during the visit, this social story about getting a shot will help. Remember that preparation is key! If you think social stories help your child, you can see a full list of the free Autism Little Learners stories here .

Be sure to grab your  free Visual Supports Starter Set  from Autism Little Learners!

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• Lesson 02: A visit to the Doctor

Back To The Course

Readings – level 2.

• Lesson 01: Dogs and Parks
• Lesson 03: Saint Patrick’s Day
• Lesson 04: Women and Shoes
• Lesson 05: Spring
• Lesson 06: Books are Source of Knowledge
• Lesson 07: Sally’s Children
• Lesson 08: A visit to the Dentist
• Lesson 09: Going to Work
• Lesson 10: Summer
• Lesson 11: Summer Refreshments
• Lesson 12: Making Spaghetti
• Lesson 13: Vacations Abroad
• Lesson 14: Independence Day
• Lesson 15: Fall
• Lesson 16: Judy’s Garden
• Lesson 17: Making a Deposit in your Bank Account
• Lesson 18: Halloween
• Lesson 19: Chritsmas in The United States
• Lesson 20: Winter
• Reading – Level 2

A visit to the Doctor Hi everyone, my name is Gary. I live in Detroit Michigan. I work as a teacher for public school 34 in downtown Detroit. I woke up a little bit drowsy and I am not feeling very well today, so I will have to call in sick. I think I need to see my doctor. First, I have to make an appointment to see him. I am going to call the receptionist and make an appointment so he can see me right away if possible. When I get there, they will not ask me to fill out some forms because I filled them out the very first time I was there. I have health insurance, so I only have to pay a co-pay of 10 dollars. It is important to have health insurance because if you do not have it, a visit to the doctor can be very expensive. When I go to my doctor’s office, one of the nurses who work there is going to take my vital signs: pulse, temperature and weight. When the doctor gets in, he will ask me how I am feeling, and he will also ask me what symptoms I have. After that he will review my clinical history to see if I have any of the symptoms described in my previous visits to his office. After he examines me, he will write a prescription so that I can go to the pharmacy and get the medicine that will make me feel better. He will also write the directions on how to take the medicine. Finally, he will ask me to come again in two weeks for a follow up. document.createElement('audio'); http://easyworldofenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/readings_level2_19b.mp3

By Meera Nair

The doctor sighed as he passed the nurse his prescription through a little window that was built for that purpose. It was five in the evening. He had lost count of the number of patients he had seen that day – it was the flu season and he had spent the day copying out the same prescription over and over again. It was very cold in that room. The thermostat was always set at an incredibly low temperature, but its effect was compounded that day by the rain that had fallen without stopping since the morning. He felt his senses dulled by the cold and he was very tired. The lighting in his office did not help in the least. It was a bright white fluorescent light. It intimidated him as much as it did some of his patients, the latter who, in their sickened state, were convinced that they had seen the afterlife in his room. The lights harshly lit up the posters and diagrams and pictures on his walls, most of which depicted cross-sections of various organs in the human body. They were not at all to his taste – he would much rather have Van Gogh's paintings than a blackened, tar-filled lung on his wall. And the poster reminding patients of the constant need for exercise, pasted so carefully on his door by his nurse, struck him as being particularly unfair. He never got any time to exercise. As his eyes fell upon the picture of the smoker's lung for the umpteenth time, the doctor wondered if he could redecorate his office. One of those certificates of his that his nurse had insisted on hanging at the entrance to the clinic would look much better in his office. The lung could go outside. And that poster there, the one showing the cross-section of a – "Ready for the next patient?" the nurse's voice broke through his thoughts. The doctor sighed again and rubbed his eyes. "How many more, Marianne?" he asked. "This is the last," she said, smiling encouragingly at him. He gave a small grunt that she took to be assent to her first question and he heard her call the next patient in. He sat straighter and assumed a professional air. Outside, a flu-ridden Sandra dragged herself to the doctor's office. She had not intended to visit the doctor at all, believing that the flu would cure itself with a lot of rest and water. But the arrival of her mother on a week-long visit from her home town in Malaysia had left her with no choice but to seek professional help. It was that, or a week of constant nagging. There really is no need for this, she thought as approached the doctor's office. Except for a runny-nose, a sore throat and a slight headache, I really am fine! Ma is such a nag. She raised her fist and knocked on the lacquered wooden door that led to the doctor's office. A name was embossed on it, but she did not read it. "Come in," a male voice said from within. Sandra pushed open the door and strode in, determined to get this over and done with. In and out , she thought, hardly glancing at the doctor as she shut the door behind her. Then she turned. "Sandra?" the doctor said, the same time she said, "Andrew?" She stood there for a moment, stunned, and then glanced down at her attire. Yellow flip-flops, an ugly pink flowered pair of shorts, and a faded green T-shirt on which the words "Bugger off" were still faintly visible. "You're a doctor?" she asked the man in the immaculate shirt and trousers, sitting ramrod straight like a businessman out to conduct the deal of a lifetime. "Obviously," he said, smiling. "Why don't you sit down?" He gestured at the chair next to his desk, both of which were leaning against a wall. It was a very odd set-up. She looked dubiously at the chair and then at him. Then she moved towards the chair and sat down. "I can't believe you're a doctor!" she said as he opened his mouth to speak. He grinned. "How have you been?" he asked. She shrugged, still in disbelief. "You?" she asked. "Good, good," he replied. He looks the same , she thought. Just a little more...mature, I guess. There's a kind of seriousness in him that I've never seen before. This is really strange . Aloud, she said, "You look exactly as you did before!" He laughed. "It's been like, what? Ten years? Give or take?" he asked. She nodded. "I can imagine your surprise," he continued. "The last time we met, I was probably getting yelled at by some teacher!" "If I recall correctly, you spent more time outside the classroom than you did inside!" she said. He laughed again. "True. I still remember Mrs Chan telling me that I came to school only to disrupt as many lessons as I could!" "And Mr Lee said you should get into the Guinness Book of World Records for your talent!" They laughed and Sandra tried to suppress a cough. "So are you a dancer now? I remember you declaring in – Primary Six, was it? – that you wanted to be a dancer," he said. "No," she said ruefully. "I grew out of it. I work in Public Relations now." "Enjoy your work?" "I guess. It still doesn't have the kick dancing gives," she said. "How about you? Medicine really your calling then?" "It is, actually. I could never have foreseen that I would ever have an interest in this, but it's been stimulating." "Ah, stimulating," Sandra said. "When did you start using such words?" He laughed. "No wait. Let me rephrase. When did you become so serious?" Sandra asked, half in jest. He shrugged thoughtfully. "I grew out of it. In Secondary Three," he said. "Huh. Sad that I couldn't see the transformation. From Primary One to Secondary Two, you were always the class clown," Sandra said lightly. He grinned mischievously. "Well, my early interest in biology was always evident. I used to keep cockroaches as pets," he said. Sandra pulled a face and quickly stopped. The stretching sensation was making her head pound. "I only remember you frying tadpoles you caught on the OHP," she said. "Don't remind me. I can't believe I did that. I've repented," he said. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "I'm a vegetarian now." "Oh?" Sandra asked. She could not reconcile the idea of the meat-loving boy she used to know now being a vegetarian doctor. She laughed suddenly as a memory intruded. "Remember you rallied the class into singing for every teacher who taught us that day? In Secondary Two, I believe," she said. "Oh yes! Probably one of my proudest accomplishments to date," he said, looking quite animated. Like the boy I used to know , Sandra thought. "And when the class ended up in detention because of that, you got us to start an impromptu band then and there," she said, tapping her fingers against his desk as she recalled the tune they had played. "I did?" he asked, his surprise evident. "You did!" she said. "How could you forget? You made a drum set out of teacher's table when she left the room." "I don't remember that!" he said. "Well, you did!" Sandra insisted. "I remember you shoving an ordinary mineral water bottle into my hand and asking me to scrape a pencil along its sides like a guiro!" He laughed a little wistfully. "I wish I could remember that. It sounds really fun!" "It was," Sandra said. "If only we could go back to those days," he sighed. "Good old Mrs Lim, Mr Pereira, Mrs Lee, Ms Simon –" "Ms Yan," Sandra interjected and they both burst out laughing at the memory of the elderly woman from their primary school days who had been convinced the only way to rehabilitate people like Andrew was to chase them with a wooden cane. "She chased me onto the field one day, did you know? I ran down the stairs from our second-floor classroom, to the canteen and then to the field. And she followed me all the way, rotan in hand!" he said. Sandra felt herself getting short of breath from all the laughing and started coughing. "Ah, don't laugh now," he said suddenly. Sandra nodded, an act that proved difficult as she was also clutching her side and coughing. She tried to draw a deep breath and ended up coughing more. Gradually, though, she got her coughing fit under control. "Better?" he asked. She nodded. "Sorry, I should have asked you what was wrong earlier," he said contritely. She shook her head, still trying to breathe evenly. "So, how can I help?" he asked. "Well, it's nothing much. Just the flu," she said, still gasping for breath in between words. "Okay. What are your symptoms?" he asked, quite professionally, she thought. "Just a headache, a runny nose and a sore throat," she mumbled. She found it a tad awkward to have him as her doctor. "And a cough," he said. "Only when I laugh," she said immediately. She did not like the taste of cough syrup. "I'll still give you the medication, just in case," he said. She groaned slightly. "I'll need you to open your mouth. The sore throat," he said, pointing at his throat. "I know what a throat is," she muttered and did as he said, wishing she were anywhere but there. "Yes, it's inflamed," he said and she heaved a sigh of relief at the fact that he did not stick an ice-cream stick down her throat. "Well, anything else?" he asked. She shook her head. What should she do now? Say bye? Walk off? "Um," she started. "Want to meet up some time? After you recover?" he asked. She nodded in relief. It had been fun reminiscing over the past with him. "Cool. Facebook," he said with a grin. She smiled and waved goodbye. Outside, the nurse called her almost immediately to the counter to get her medication. As she labelled the packets of pills and that one bottle of syrup with the prescription, she asked, "So you're a friend of the doctor's?" "We were classmates before," Sandra said. The nurse laughed. "I never knew he was that entertaining in his school days." She lowered her voice so that he could not hear through the little window in the wall. "He seems so quiet and overworked here. It's nice that he finally found a way to unwind." Sandra nodded. It was interesting how people could change so drastically over the years. Yet he was not all that different. Hadn't their conversation proved that? She paid for her medication and left. The doctor left soon after the last patient left. As he waved goodbye to her, the nurse thought that she had never seen him look so cheerful before. Previous Page ^ > Next Page

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More from T.S. Arthur

• Amy’s Question
• An Angel in Disguise
• Little Lizzie
• The Mother’s Promise
• Making a Sensation
• The Portrait

More in Moralistic Fiction

• A Dollar on the Conscience
• Going to the Springs; or, Vulgar People
• Something for a Cold
• Which Was Most the Lady?

1842 Short Story

A visit with the doctor.

A Visit with the Doctor is an English Moralistic Fiction short story by American writer T.S. Arthur . It was first published in 1842.

A Visit with the Doctor by T.S. Arthur

“How are you to-day, Mrs. Carleton?” asked Dr. Farleigh, as he sat down by his patient, who reclined languidly in a large cushioned chair.

“Miserable,” was the faintly spoken reply. And the word was repeated,–“Miserable.”

The doctor took one of the lady’s small, white hands, on which the network of veins, most delicately traced, spread its blue lines everywhere beneath the transparent skin. It was a beautiful hand–a study for a painter or sculptor. It was a soft, flexible hand–soft, flexible, and velvety to the touch as the hand of a baby, for it was as much a stranger to useful work. The doctor laid his fingers on the wrist. Under the pressure he felt the pulse beat slowly and evenly. He took out his watch and counted the beats, seventy in a minute. There was a no fever, nor any unusual disturbance of the system. Calmly the heart was doing its appointed work.

“How is your head, Mrs. Carleton?”

The lady moved her head from side to side two or three times.

“Anything out of the way there?”

“My head is well enough, but I feel so miserable–so weak. I haven’t the strength of a child. The least exertion exhausts me.”

And the lady shut her eyes, looking the picture of feebleness.

“Have you taken the tonic, for which I left a prescription yesterday?”

“Yes; but I’m no stronger.”

“How is your appetite?”

“Bad.”

“Have you taken the morning walk in the garden that I suggested?”

“O, dear, no! Walk out in the garden? I’m faint by the time I get to the breakfast-room! I can’t live at this rate, doctor. What am I to do? Can’t you build me up in some way? I’m burden to myself and every one else.”

And Mrs. Carleton really looked distressed.

“You ride out every day?”

“I did until the carriage was broken, and that was nearly a week ago. It has been at the carriage-maker’s ever since.”

“You must have the fresh air, Mrs. Carleton,” said the doctor, emphatically. “Fresh air, change of scene, and exercise, are indispensable in your case. You will die if you remain shut up after this fashion. Come, take a ride with me.”

“Doctor! How absurd!” exclaimed Mrs. Carleton, almost shocked by the suggestion. “Ride with you! What would people think?”

“A fig for people’s thoughts! Get your shawl and bonnet, and take a drive with me. What do you care for meddlesome people’s thoughts? Come!”

The doctor knew his patient.

“But you’re not in earnest, surely?” There was a half-amused twinkle in the lady’s eyes.

“Never more in earnest. I’m going to see a patient just out of the city, and the drive will be a charming one. Nothing would please me better than to have your company.”

There was a vein of humor, and a spirit of “don’t care” in Mrs. Carleton, which had once made her independent, and almost hoydenish. But fashionable associations, since her woman-life began, had toned her down into exceeding propriety. Fashion and conventionality, however, were losing their influence, since enfeebled health kept her feet back from the world’s gay places; and the doctor’s invitation to a ride found her sufficiently disenthralled to see in it a pleasing novelty.

“I’ve half a mind to go,” she said, smiling. She had not smiled before since the doctor came in.

“I’ll ring for your maid,” and Dr. Farleigh’s hand was on the bell-rope before Mrs. Carleton had space to think twice, and endanger a change of thought.

“I’m not sure that I am strong enough for the effort,” said Mrs. Carleton, and she laid her head back upon the cushions in a feeble way.

“Trust me for that,” replied the doctor.

The maid came in.

“Bring me a shawl and my bonnet, Alice; I am going to ride out with the doctor.” Very languidly was the sentence spoken.

“I’m afraid, doctor, it will be too much for me. You don’t know how weak I am. The very thought of such an effort exhausts me.”

“Not a thought of the effort,” replied Dr. Farleigh. “It isn’t that.”

“What is it?”

“A thought of appearances–of what people will say.”

“Now, doctor! You don’t think me so weak in that direction?”

“Just so weak,” was the free-spoken answer. “You fashionable people are all afraid of each other. You haven’t a spark of individuality or true independence. No, not a spark. You are quite strong enough to ride out in your own elegant carriage but with the doctor!–O, dear, no! If you were certain of not meeting Mrs. McFlimsey, perhaps the experiment might be adventured. But she is always out on fine days.”

“Doctor, for shame! How can you say that?”

And a ghost of color crept into the face of Mrs. Carleton, while her eyes grew brighter–almost flashed.

The maid came in with shawl and bonnet. Dr. Farleigh, as we have intimated, understood his patient, and said just two or three words more, in a tone half contemptuous.

“Afraid of Mrs. McFlimsey!”

“Not I; nor of forty Mrs. McFlimseys!”

It was not the ghost of color that warmed Mrs. Carleton’s face now, but the crimson of a quicker and stronger heart-beat. She actually arose from her chair without reaching for her maid’s hand and stood firmly while the shawl was adjusted and the bonnet-strings tied.

“We shall have a charming ride,” said the doctor, as he crowded in beside his fashionable lady companion, and took up the loose reins. He noticed that she sat up erectly, and with scarcely a sign of the languor that but a few minutes before had so oppressed her. “Lean back when you see Mrs. McFlimsey’s carriage, and draw your veil closely. She’ll never dream that it’s you.”

“I’ll get angry if you play on that string much longer!” exclaimed Mrs. Carleton; “what do I care for Mrs. McFlimsey?”

How charmingly the rose tints flushed her cheeks! How the light rippled in her dark sweet eyes, that were leaden a little while before!

Away from the noisy streets, out upon the smoothly-beaten road, and amid green field and woodlands, gardens and flower-decked orchards, the doctor bore his patient, holding her all the while in pleasant talk. How different this from the listless, companionless drives taken by the lady in her own carriage–a kind of easy, vibrating machine, that quickened the sluggish blood no more than a cushioned rocking chair!

Closely the doctor observed his patient. He saw how erectly she continued to sit; how the color deepened in her face, which actually seemed rounder and fuller; how the sense of enjoyment fairly danced in her eyes.

Returning to the city by a different road, the doctor, after driving through streets entirely unfamiliar to his companion, drew up his horse before a row of mean-looking dwellings, and dropping the reins, threw open the carriage door, and stepped upon the pavement–at the same time reaching out his hand to Mrs. Carleton. But she drew back, saying,–

“What is the meaning of this, doctor?”

“I have a patient here, and I want you to see her.”

“O, no; excuse me, doctor. I’ve no taste for such things,” answered the lady.

“Come–I can’t leave you alone in the carriage. Ned might take a fancy to walk off with you.”

Mrs. Carleton glanced at the patient old horse, whom the doctor was slandering, with a slightly alarmed manner.

“Don’t you think he’ll stand, doctor?” she asked, uneasily.

“He likes to get home, like others of his tribe. Come;” and the doctor held out his hand in a persistent way.

Mrs. Carleton looked at the poor tenements before which the doctor’s carriage had stopped with something of disgust and something of apprehension.

“I can never go in there, doctor.”

“Why not?”

“I might take some disease.”

“Never fear. More likely to find a panacea there.”

The last sentence was in an undertone.

Mrs. Carleton left the carriage, and crossing the pavement, entered one of the houses, and passed up with the doctor to the second story. To his light tap at a chamber door a woman’s voice said,–

“Come in.”

The door was pushed open, and the doctor and Mrs. Carleton went in. The room was small, and furnished in the humblest manner, but the air was pure, and everything looked clean and tidy. In a chair, with a pillow pressed in at her back for a support, sat a pale, emaciated woman, whose large, bright eyes looked up eagerly, and in a kind of hopeful surprise, at so unexpected a visitor as the lady who came in with the doctor. On her lap a baby was sleeping, as sweet, and pure, and beautiful a baby as ever Mrs. Carleton had looked upon. The first impulse of her true woman’s heart, had she yielded to it, would have prompted her to take it in her arms and cover it with kisses.

The woman was too weak to rise from her chair, but she asked Mrs. Carleton to be seated in a tone of lady-like self-possession that did not escape the visitor’s observation.

“How did you pass the night, Mrs. Leslie?” asked the doctor.

“About as usual,” was answered, in a calm, patient way; and she even smiled as she spoke.

“How about the pain through your side and shoulder?”

“It may have been a little easier.”

“You slept?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What of the night sweats?”

“I don’t think they have diminished any.”

The doctor beat his eyes to the floor, and sat in silence for some time. The heart of Mrs. Carleton was opening towards–the baby and it was a baby to make its way into any heart. She had forgotten her own weakness–forgotten, in the presence of this wan and wasted mother, with a sleeping cherub on her lap, all about her own invalid state.

“I will send you a new medicine,” said the doctor, looking up; then speaking to Mrs. Carleton, he added,–

“Will you sit here until I visit two or three patients in the block?”

“O, certainly,” and she reached out her arms for the baby, and removed it so gently from its mother’s lap that its soft slumber was not broken. When the doctor returned he noticed that there had been tears in Mrs. Carleton’s eyes. She was still holding the baby, but now resigned the quiet sleeper to its mother, kissing it as she did so. He saw her look with a tender, meaning interest at the white, patient face of the sick woman, and heard her say, as she spoke a word or two in parting,–

“I shall not forget you.”

“That’s a sad case, doctor,” remarked the lady, as she took her place in the carriage.

“It is. But she is sweet and patient.”

“I saw that, and it filled me with surprise. She tells me that her husband died a year ago.”

“Yes.”

“And that she has supported herself by shirt-making.”

“But that she had become too feeble for work, and is dependent on a younger sister, who earns a few dollars, weekly, at book-folding.”

“The simple story, I believe,” said the doctor.

Mrs. Carleton was silent for most of the way home; but thought was busy. She had seen a phase of life that touched her deeply.

“You are better for this ride,” remarked the doctor, as he handed her from the carriage.

“I think so,” replied Mrs. Carleton.

“There has not been so fine a color on your face for months.”

They had entered Mrs. Carleton’s elegant residence, and were sitting in one of her luxurious parlors.

“Shall I tell you why?” added the doctor.

Mrs. Carleton bowed.

“You have had some healthy heart-beats.”

She did not answer.

“And I pray you, dear madam, let the strokes go on,” continued Dr. Farleigh. “Let your mind become interested in some good work, and your hands obey your thoughts, and you will be a healthy woman, in body and soul. Your disease is mental inaction.”

Mrs. Carleton looked steadily at the doctor.

“You are in earnest,” she said, in a calm, firm way.

“Wholly in earnest, ma’am. I found you, an hour ago, in so weak a state that to lift your hand was an exhausting effort. You are sitting erect now, with every muscle taughtly strung. When will your carriage be home?”

He asked the closing question abruptly.

“To-morrow,” was replied.

“Then I will not call for you, but–“

He hesitated.

“Say on, doctor.”

“Will you take my prescription?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation.

“You must give that sick woman a ride into the country. The fresh, pure, blossom-sweet air will do her good–may, indeed, turn the balance of health in her favor. Don’t be afraid of Mrs. McFlimsey.”

“For shame, doctor! But you are too late in your suggestion. I’m quite ahead of you.”

“Ah! in what respect?”

“That drive into the country is already a settled thing. Do you know, I’m in love with that baby?”

“Othello’s occupation’s gone, I see!” returned the doctor, rising. “But I may visit you occasionally as a friend, I presume, if not as a medical adviser?”

“As my best friend, always,” said Mrs. Carleton, with feeling. “You have led me out of myself, and showed me the way to health and happiness; and I have settled the question as to my future. It shall not be as the past.”

And it was not.

T.S. Arthur

Timothy Shay Arthur (1809–1885), commonly known as T.S. Arthur, was an American author and editor. He is noted for his moralistic and didactic stories, including “Ten Nights in a Bar Room,” which addressed social issues and moral dilemmas in 19th-century America.

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A Visit To The Doctor -Reading Response Activity Sheets (A Visit To The Doctor Sheets)

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• Course English
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• Section Reading Comprehension
• Outcome A Visit To The Doctor
• Activity Type Printable
• Activity ID 2943

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Medical Classics

The doctor stories.

William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) made his living as a doctor and his reputation as a writer. After initial training in New York he worked as a family practitioner in his home town of Rutherford, New Jersey, for 40 years, seeing—in his own estimation—a million and a half patients. His formative working life was spent during the Depression, his patients being mainly blue-collar workers and the unemployed underclass. Many were immigrants who spoke little or no English, and a chronic feature of his consultations was their struggle to pay him even a meagre fee. He worked hard, seeing patients every day and regularly attending calls through the night.

In view of this punishing workload, it seems astounding that Williams produced a canon of writing that leaves him regarded as one of America's foremost poets. In addition, he was a prolific prose writer, and The Doctor Stories , a compilation of short stories and autobiographical essays written between 1932 and 1962, is a compelling testament to his originality and skill, both as writer and doctor.

His subject is his patients and, to a lesser extent, his colleagues and domestic life. So, there are stories about mothers who lose their babies, about a girl with suspected diphtheria who won't let him look down her throat, and about a badly burned workman who needs a sick line to placate his unforgiving boss. The key feature of Williams's prose is its absolute, sometimes brutal, honesty. If he finds his patients (even children) physically attractive, he tells us; if he doesn't like his patients, he explains why. Williams holds nothing back about them, nor little about himself, in his desire, as he puts it, to “penetrate to some moving detail of a life.” These days, the GMC might take issue with a doctor reporting his clinical experience so freely, but a key issue for Williams seems to be deciding which is the over-riding responsibility: of the doctor to his patient, or the artist to his subject? As he states, in an autobiographical chapter: “My business, aside from the mere physical diagnosis, is to make a different sort of diagnosis concerning them as individuals.”

In his prose style, Williams is a modernist, and at first reading his stories seem almost draft in form. On reflection, however, the style is a crucial part of the honesty and testifies to the pressured reality of his life as a doctor-writer. He worked fast. Thus, he writes like an impressionist paints, quickly capturing the essence of a clinical moment. As a result, The Doctor Stories leave images of patients that last forever.

by Anton Chekhov

Return to the Anton Chekhov library , or . . . Read the next short story; The Duel

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29 good kids' books about doctor visits.

Of all the children's picture book characters, the Berenstain Bears address everyday family life in the most comforting, reassuring way. For little kids who have a case of the jitters, order a copy of this picture book that will surely put them at ease. It is time for the Bear family to get their annual check-up, so they head off to Dr. Grizzy's office. All of the normal, routine parts of an exam are covered very matter-of-factly. As an added bonus, a generous page of stickers is included on the very last page.

Helpful Doctor Books for Anxious Kids

Never underestimate the power of reading good children's books about checkups with the pediatrician. It is perfectly normal for kids to feel anxious about their annual exams. Sharing picture books about this experience is an excellent tactic to calm their nerves, answer their questions, and help them understand that doctors are to be trusted. Reading children's books about going to the doctor can help. It's important for kids to understand what to expect during their visit. The best stories use colorful illustrations to share comforting stories about how physicians are here to take care of us. They convey important information, address a child's questions, and teach young readers that they need not be afraid. For more helpful books about medical care, be sure check out the best kids' books about the hospital .

Peppa Pig is just the one to show your children that doctors and nurses are the best. In this adorable book, Doctor Brown Bear and Nurse Fox visit Peppa and friends during playtime to teach them all about eating healthy and good hygiene. A handy poster comes with this storybook that can be hung in the bathroom as a reminder to wash hands.

You can always rely on a Winnie the Pooh book to help a child feel better. Pooh is very nervous about going ot the doctor for a check up. (Sound like someone you know?) Fortunately, Owl is the physician and Christopher Robin is there by his side the entire time. A gentle, warm, reassuring book perfect for toddlers who have a doctor's visit coming up soon. 

Splat can hardly contain his excitement over his upcoming check up at the doctor's office. Unfortunately, his friends dampen his spirits with all kinds of frightening stories about what will happen. When he finally musters up the courage to face the doctor, Splat realizes that it isn't so bad after all.

A cute little hippo engages in some pretend play, but not everyone is in the mood to humor him. He decides to be a doctor for the day, with plans to examine all kinds of animals like  Lion, Elephant, Crocodile and Giraffe. This pretend doctor gets a bit of a scare and seeks comfort from his mother, the best medicine of all.

Perfect doctor book for preschoolers who watch the Daniel Tiger television series. In this cute book, Daniel is quite nervous about his upcoming visit. However, as soon as he meets Dr. Anna, all his worries disappear and he has a great experience.

Getting a shot is probably the most anxiety-inducing event associated with check ups. This interactive board book shows children that a needle doesn't hurt much! Lots of tabs to pull and flaps to lift as little ones explore all of the interesting things that happen at a doctor visit. This is a reassuring story packed with useful tips for parents and caregivers preparing a child for an impending appointment.

A short, sweet read for toddlers getting ready for their yearly check up. All of the customary things happen at his routine examination, including getting a shot, but Leo is brave and behaves well. He is rewarded with a special book at the end of his appointment. A very informative, easy-to-understand book perfect for the littlest readers.

Barbie fans will love this novelty book, with a bonus wellness chart and 50 stickers. Little sister Chelsea is afraid of going to see the doctor. Her big sisters come to her rescue by providing her with comfort and moral support. Kids love to see that even their favorite toys and characters need help from their trustworthy doctor from time to time.

Author Joanna Cole has expertly written many books that appeal to toddlers. Here is another positively happy book about a young child who trusts her doctor. She goes for an annual checkup, and despite getting a shot, she comes to the conclusion that it wasn't so bad. A great book especially for young children who are nervous about an impending doctor visit.

This children's doctor book is perfect for a little one who has questions about all the important things a physician does to help people. Cartoon-like illustrations appeal to preschoolers. This is a fun, straightforward, reassuring book about all the ways doctors help us feel better.

Pretend play and team work are at the very core of this charming Maisy book. Doctor Maisy takes care of all her friends when they are not feeling well, but who will care for Maisy when she is sick? Nurse Tallulah! She steps in to provide all the tender loving care Maisy needs to feel better. An endearing story of friendship and caring for others.

Toddlers and young children who are fans of Nickelodeon's Paw Patrol will especially love this book about going to the doctor.  All the friendly characters are here to reassure children that there is nothing to be scared about. A gentle, informative storybook with a surprise page of stickers on the last page.

In this I Can Read book, Pete the Kitty doesn't feel well, so he has to visit the doctor. He is very nervous about going, but his father assures him that the doctor is someone to trust.  Pete overcomes his fear and learns that visiting the doctor can be okay. Adorable illustrations and repetitive language make this a great book for emerging independent readers.

A fantastic book in the best-selling How Do Dinosaurs? series that expertly handles the topic of visiting a doctor.  In this cute story, the dinosaur has a terrible case of the flu and learns what he must do to get better. A trip to see his doctor is required. Fun verse and funny illustrations will have young kids giggling to the very end. 

You can leave it to Froggy to interject humor into all of life's stressful situations. And this adorable book is no exception. Froggy is a bundle of nerves as he is waiting to see the doctor. He worries about every single thing that could happen, including the one thing on top of every young child's anxious mind- getting a shot! But never fear, Froggy survives his doctor's visit and even earns a gold star for his excellent behavior.

A cute, classic Corduroy book in sturdy board book format suited for toddlers. Our favorite little bear visits the doctor for a check up, gets a shot, and scores a balloon at the end for being a good patient. A comforting book that will surely ease the jitters of little ones who are nervous about a medical appointment.

An inspiring book for kids learning to read independently. A little girl provides support for her brother who visits the emergency room after breaking his foot. While there, she becomes fascinated with the many different types of doctors who care for her brother. This experience makes her decide that she would like to become a doctor herself on day! Many children have to go to the hospital at some point in time. This book does a good job of explaining what will happen while putting kids at ease.

A board book with sturdy pages teaches little readers about all the different kinds of doctors. Cute illustrations and simple, straightforward text will keep the attention of toddlers. No matter what body part needs attention, there is a special doctor who can help you feel better. This cute baby book does a nice job explaining a variety of medical roles.

Yearly check-ups can sure be fun, especially if you are a cute little doggy! Biscuit is excited to visit the vet. He will find out how much he has grown this past year and see all kinds of furry friends in the office. Biscuit will show young readers that there is nothing scary at all about visiting the doctor.

Elmo has to go to the doctor because he has a tummy ache. And then he has to visit the doctor again for a routine check up. During both of these visits, Elmo shows little readers that doctors are here to help us. Adorable illustrations and a cute story make this perfect for story time, and especially if a toddler has a doctor's appointment in the near future.

Even doggies are afraid to go to the doctor sometimes. When Charlie refuses his favorite treats, him mom knows he is not feeling well. So off to see Dr. Jan. Charlie is really nervous about going to the doctor, but he puts on a brave face when he sees a quivering little puppy in the waiting room. Charlie puts his fear aside and learns that the doctor is his friend.

This is the most comprehensive book for children about visiting the doctor that we have come across. Tons of valuable information about what will happen at the check up itself, as well as advice for parents on how to prepare the child for the visit.

Tag along with Dora as she goes for her annual checkup! Young children will get a firsthand glimpse at all the things to expect. The doctor weighs and measures Dora, checks her vision, and takes a peak up her nose and in her throat. At the end of the visit, Dora gets to pick a special treat as a reward for her good behavior.

A precocious tot knows exactly what he wants to be when he grows up- a doctor! This adorable board book has lots of information about what a doctor does. For children a teensy bit nervous about a doctor visit, this book will make them feel better! The most important job of a doctor is to help others, so there is no reason to be afraid.

The characters of Busytown, an aptly named locale, are always full of excitement and learning something new. Nicky approaches his visit with the doctor as an opportunity to find out all kinds of fascinating facts about himself, like his height and weight. He doesn't mind the shot at all, and he's very cooperative as the doctor checks his hearing and vision. An uplifting children's book about the doctor with a ton of bonus stickers for extra fun.

Goofy goes to great lengths to avoid his checkup! Fortunately, his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse friends are a few steps ahead of him. With some quick thinking and clever tricks, they win over Goofy and convince him that he has nothing to fear. 

Sometimes a lab coat and all of those medical instruments can be intimidating for a young child. This instructive book teaches us all about how doctors help us feel better. Whether we have fevers, wounds, broken bones, or pain anywhere in our body, doctors use their special tools to fix us. Once kids understand the role of their doctor, going for a check up won't seem so scary.

Little lion cubs muster up the courage they need to survive their very first check up at the pediatrician's office. Big brother Luka confidently explains everything to little sister Lulu. He is brave, confident, and even holds her hand while she is being examined. But when it's his turn, Luka gets jittery and doesn't really think he needs to see the doctor after all. A reaffirming story for any child who is a bit nervous about going to the doctor for the first time.

The Lollipop Book Club is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. 

Children's Books About Check-Ups With the Doctor

Anticipating a visit to the doctor can conjure up some seriously anxious feelings in children. The visit may be for a routine check-up, or as is often the case, to get a diagnosis, remedy and/or guidance for an illness or condition. To help prepare a child for an upcoming visit , we suggest that you gather together some good kids' doctor books. Even grown-ups can get a case of the jitters when it comes time to seek medical care. For young children who are a little nervous, reading will help them understand what to expect during their visit. These books will help show them that these professionals are to be trusted and there really is nothing to fear. Little ones who are curious other medical care will also benefit by reading stories about ambulances . Although it's impossible to predict when an emergency may occur, it's always a good idea to reassure children that medics will take good care of them!

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

"a doctor's visit" by anton chekhov.

A Doctor's Visit by Anton Chekhov 

A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin 

The Jelly-Bean  by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

The Yellow Wallpaper  by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 

Bartleby the Scrivener  by Herman Melville 

The Pit and the Pendulum  by Edgar Allan Poe 

Ivan the Fool  by Leo Tolstoy 

Author!  by P. G. Wodehouse

"There is something baffling in it, of course . . ." he thought, looking at the crimson windows. 

Fifteen hundred or two thousand workpeople are working without rest in unhealthy surroundings, making bad cotton goods, living on the verge of starvation, and only waking from this nightmare at rare intervals in the tavern; a hundred people act as overseers, and the whole life of that hundred is spent in imposing fines, in abuse, in injustice, and only two or three so-called owners enjoy the profits, though they don't work at all, and despise the wretched cotton. But what are the profits, and how do they enjoy them? Madame Lyalikov and her daughter are unhappy--it makes one wretched to look at them; the only one who enjoys her life is Christina Dmitryevna, a stupid, middle-aged maiden lady in pince-nez."

"I am lonely. I have a mother; I love her, but, all the same, I am lonely. That's how it happens to be. . . . Lonely people read a great deal, but say little and hear little. Life for them is mysterious; they are mystics and often see the devil where he is not. Lermontov's Tamara was lonely and she saw the devil. "

3 comments:

Hey you're reading Chekhov too! I'm currently on a quest to read his stories but I haven't yet touched on this one :)

Mel, I will read this story online soon--thanks for the link. I may also add your link to my Sundry Short Stories post--thanks again.

I really enjoyed reading Chekov's stories -- I don't recall reading this particular one, but I loved the ones I did read. One favorite that I haven't forgotten was called THE STUDENT. It's very short (about 3 pages) and yet it did fully engage me. Masterfully done.

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• Stories set in London
• 1992 short stories

A Visit to the Cinema (short story)

A Visit to the Cinema was a Brief Encounter short story published in Doctor Who Magazine 190 . It depicted Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. as fictional elements within the Doctor Who universe .

• 2 Characters
• 3 Worldbuilding
• 4.1 Parody or straight?
• 5 Continuity
• 6 External links

Summary [ ]

The Third Doctor has a bit of free time on his hands, which is rare for him, and so goes to the cinema to watch a double-bill of a particular couple of movies starring Peter Cushing .

Characters [ ]

• Third Doctor

Worldbuilding [ ]

• The Doctor refers to Peter Cushing as "that splendid chap Van Helsing ".
• The text refers to several things in the 1960s Dalek films: a " young chap sitting on those chocolates ", the titles of the second film being orange, actors wearing "bizarre eye make-up", and a "highly amusing scene with a food machine ".
• The narration suggests that the Doctor is in the early days of his third incarnation: it is said that "his afternoons off were few and far between" and that his other option was to enjoy a bag of chips with Sergeant Benton .

Parody or straight? [ ]

While the films are never specified by name, the story suggests that the events of the 1960s Dalek films are fictional parts of the DWU : the Doctor is entertained by a memorable moment for Roy Castle 's character in Dr. Who and the Daleks . Later, two elderly ladies sitting next to the Doctor — who have disapproved of his outbursts of amusement — exclaim that they wish the Doctor would develop the manners of "that lovely Mr Cushing ". Likewise, The Doctor compares the "bizarre eye make-up" worn in the film to that employed by Jo Grant , making light of the make-up used on the Thals in Dr. Who and the Daleks to make them appear more alien than their televised counterparts.

However, the reader is also given scope to imagine it's parody when the Doctor says, "How wonderful to have seen that particular planet in colour at last." The Doctor can't be referring to Skaro here, because obviously he would have seen it in colour, even if TV viewers did not, although by some accounts he may have been colour blind at the time of his earliest visits. Yet, if it's not Skaro he's talking about, then he's not watching Dr. Who and the Daleks . Thus, this can be read as a meta-fictional comment, which takes the piece closer to parody. This is all only as far as the authorial intent at the time could be considered; however, long after the short story's release, Steven Moffat 's novelisation The Day of the Doctor revealed that the Doctor's first and second  incarnations were colour blind, giving a perfectly good in-universe reason for the Doctor not to have seen Skaro in colour by the early days of his third incarnation. The Day of the Doctor also suggests that the films exist as fiction within the Doctor Who universe, revealing that the Eleventh Doctor was such a fan of the films that he went back in time to make friends with Peter Cushing, even lending him the waistcoat he wore in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

Continuity [ ]

• The UNIT Black Archive contained VHS cassette copies of Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks: Invasion Earth . During the creation of the peace treaty between the humans and Zygons , the Tenth Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor watched the films and then pitched a third to Peter Cushing on the phone. ( PROSE : The Day of the Doctor [+] Steven Moffat , adapted from The Day of the Doctor ( Steven Moffat ), Target novelisation s ( Target Books , 2018 ). )
• By another account, Dr. Who and his eight-year-old granddaughter Suzy were creations of the real Doctor to distract the Five O'Clock Shadow . ( PROSE : The Five O'Clock Shadow [+] Nev Fountain , Short Trips: A Day in the Life ( Short Trips , 2005 ). )
• The Doctor could only see in monochrome until his third incarnation . ( PROSE : The Day of the Doctor [+] Steven Moffat , adapted from The Day of the Doctor ( Steven Moffat ), Target novelisation s ( Target Books , 2018 ). )

External links [ ]

• A Visit to the Cinema at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
• 2 Pyramids of Mars (TV story)
• 3 The Legend of Ruby Sunday (TV story)

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Intermediate short story with questions-A Visit to the Doctor(editable&fillable)

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Description

Directions: First read the basic version of the story below. Next, read the advanced version of the same story. Then, try to answer the questions about the story.

Also the passage included the vocabulary questions

Vocabulary:

To find word definitions: First, find the word in the advanced version of the story. Then, compare this part of the advanced version of the story to the same part of the basic version of the story. This will give you a general definition of the word.

1. What does “ examined ” mean? (paragraph 3, sentence 2)

2. What does “ throat ” mean? (paragraph 3, sentence 2)

3. What does “ healthy ” mean? (paragraph 4, sentence 2)

4. What does “ pharmacy ” mean? (paragraph 5, sentence 1)

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Video edited to make it appear Biden tried to sit down when there wasn’t a chair

A video shows President Joe Biden trying to sit in a chair that wasn’t there during a ceremony in Normandy, France. However, full footage of the ceremony shows the president looking over his shoulder for his chair and pausing before taking a seat.

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CLAIM: A video shows President Joe Biden trying to sit in a chair that wasn’t there during a ceremony in Normandy, France, commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The video, in which Biden’s chair is for the most part clearly visible, is cut before the president sits down. Full footage of the ceremony shows the president looking over his shoulder for his chair and pausing before taking a seat.

THE FACTS: As World War II veterans and world leaders gathered to honor the famed Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France, social media users shared the short clip to further an ongoing narrative that Biden is infirm.

In the video, Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands while standing between their wives, first ladies Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron. The president then briefly looks over his left shoulder, bends over and hovers in that position as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is announced as the event’s next speaker.

“This is disturbing,” reads one X post. “Pres. Biden is literally trying to find the invisible chair to sit in. It’s just all so sad, and disgraceful to those in attendance who desire to honor the brave men who died to protect our nation from tyrannical governments.”

Another X post states: “Biden is trying to sit in a chair that doesn’t exist. The problem is that he intends to continue running for the presidential elections.”

But the video spreading online cuts off right before Biden takes a seat. In footage of the ceremony in its entirety , the president glances at his chair, bends over, pauses as Austin’s introduction begins and then sits down at the same time as Macron, their wives and the people sitting behind them. Biden’s chair is visible throughout the video although it is obscured in some sections.

Biden spoke later in the event , pledging “we will not walk away” from Ukraine, drawing a direct line from the fight to liberate Europe from Nazi domination to today’s war against Russian aggression. He called D-Day a “powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances make us stronger.”

The June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion was unprecedented in its scale and audacity, using the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to punch a hole in Adolf Hitler’s defenses in western Europe and change the course of World War II.

Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy that day, most from the U.S., Britain and Canada. They faced around 50,000 German troops. ___ This is part of the AP’s effort to address widely shared false and misleading information that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP .

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Dr. Anthony Fauci's 'Brooklyn Tough' Attitude Got Tested Early On: Read an Excerpt from His New Memoir (Exclusive)

In 'On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service' he details the heartbreaking medical school moment his training his very close to home

Paul Morigi/Getty; courtesy amazon

Dr. Anthony Fauci is a household name the way few other doctors are. He was one of PEOPLE's four People of the Year in 2020 for his guidance in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was far from the first time Fauci found himself at the forefront of an epidemic.

The Brooklyn-born doctor, 83, served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for four decades and advised seven presidents. During that time, he helped guide public policy on HIV/AIDS, SARS, MERS, avian influenza, swine flu, Zika and Ebola.

For his work, he has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science and the Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service and has been awarded 62 honorary doctoral degrees. After retiring from NIAID in 2023, Fauci now serves as Distinguished University Professor at Georgetown University with a joint appointment in the School of Medicine and the McCourt School of Public Policy.

His new book, On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service (out June 18) takes readers through his extensive contributions to science and medicine, but it all starts where Fauci's roots do: the Brooklyn neighborhood where he grew up.

"I joke about it, that Brooklyn tough suck-up-attitude that you focus on what your job is, and all that other stuff as unpleasant as it is, is a distraction," he tells PEOPLE. "What's really important is your job. Saving lives, promoting public health and your family. Anything else is nonsense."

Fauci, the son of Eugenia Lillian and Stephen A. Fauci grew up in an apartment above the pharmacy his father owned, working the register with his mother and sister, and delivering prescriptions. His family and Jesuit education instilled in him a strong work ethic, a stiff upper lip and a focus on the humanity of his patients that contributes to what he calls "the art and science" of medicine.

"The science is making the right diagnosis. The science is ordering the right medication. That's the science of medicine," he explains. "The art of medicine is how you deal with the individual human being. And that's the thing that's driven me in all of my interactions in medicine and science, that the patient is the focus of everything. You do not treat the disease. You treat the patient."

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Keeping that balance in mind has been key to his work, as shifting his attention where it matters most — something he may have honed on the basketball court as a teen.

 "I am pretty good at compartmentalizing and just shutting stuff out," he says. "You gotta train yourself for it and I think my upbringing trained me well for that."

Below, in an exclusive excerpt shared with PEOPLE, Fauci details one of the first times he had to do just that.

Nothing could have prepared me for the day during my fourth year when my mother came to visit [and] told me that she felt weak and bloated and had lost her appetite. Having just finished my rotation on the internal medicine ward, I felt a jolt in my gut. I immediately set up an appointment for my mother, who was 56 years old, with my attending physician, Dr. David M. Roseman. Dr. Roseman saw her in his office within two days.

 “Tony, I am very sorry, but I believe the situation is serious,” he said. “It is likely a cancer.”

I felt numb, but for the first time I was thinking about my mother both as a son and as a physician. What next? She needed surgery for a definitive diagnosis, so the attending surgeon, Dr. Henry Mannix, did an open biopsy. Again, a call that I kind of expected: “Tony, your mother has a liver full of tumor, and the prognosis is really very bad.” The only thing to do for my mother was to keep her comfortable. I was training to be a physician, and here I was helpless. I took the subway to Brooklyn and told my father. It was one of the most painful moments in my young life. He was crushed. 

My mother died eight short weeks later. My father had lost the love of his life. I did not have the luxury of grieving properly. I was in the middle of my surgery rotation in my final year of medical school. We buried my mother in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn and I had to be back on call on the wards the next night. I stuffed my painful feelings down deep and put my energy into saving the lives that were possible to be saved. 

Adapted from ON CALL by Anthony Fauci, M.D. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2024 by Anthony S. Fauci.

On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service is on sale now, wherever books are sold.

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Supreme Court rejects bid to restrict access to abortion pill

WASHINGTON — In a blow for anti-abortion advocates, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone, meaning the commonly used drug can remain widely available.

The court found unanimously that the group of anti-abortion doctors who questioned the Food and Drug Administration’s decisions making it easier to access the pill did not have legal standing to sue.  

President Joe Biden said in a statement that while the ruling means the pill can remain easily accessible, "the fight for reproductive freedom continues" in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's ruling two years ago that overturned the abortion-rights landmark Roe v. Wade.

"It does not change the fact that the right for a woman to get the treatment she needs is imperiled if not impossible in many states," he added.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court that while plaintiffs have "sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to elective abortion and to FDA's relaxed regulation of mifepristone," that does not mean they have a federal case.

The plaintiffs failed to show they had suffered any injury, meaning "the federal courts are the wrong forum for addressing the plaintiffs' concerns about FDA's actions," he added.

"The plaintiffs may present their concerns and objections to the president and FDA in the regulatory process or to Congress and the president in the legislative process," Kavanaugh wrote. "And they may also express their views about abortion and mifepristone to fellow citizens, including in the political and electoral processes."

The legal challenge was brought by doctors and other medical professionals represented by the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom.

"We are disappointed that the Supreme Court did not reach the merits of the FDA’s lawless removal of commonsense safety standards for abortion drugs," said Erin Hawley, one of the group's lawyers. She told reporters she is hopeful the underlying lawsuit can continue because three states — Idaho, Missouri and Kansas — have brought their own claims and have different arguments for standing.

By throwing out the case on such grounds, the court avoided reaching a decision on the legal merits of whether the FDA acted lawfully in lifting various restrictions, including one making the drug obtainable via mail, meaning the same issues could yet return to the court in another case.

Another regulatory decision left in place means women can still obtain the pill within 10 weeks of gestation instead of seven. 

Likewise a decision to allow health care providers other than physicians to dispense the pill will remain in effect.

The court's decision to roll back abortion rights two years ago led to a wave of new abortion restrictions in conservative states.

Then, the court suggested it was removing itself from the political debate over abortion, but with litigation continuing to rage over abortion access, the justices continue to play a pivotal role. 

Abortion-rights supporters welcomed the ruling, with Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, saying she was relieved at the outcome but angered that the case lingered in the court system so long.

"Thank goodness the Supreme Court rejected this unwarranted attempt to curtail access to medication abortion, but the fact remains that this meritless case should never have gotten this far," she said in a statement.

Danco Laboratories, manufacturer of Mifeprex, the brand version of mifepristone, praised the ruling, too, saying it was good for the drug approval process writ large.

In rejecting the challenge, the court "maintained the stability of the FDA drug approval process, which is based on the agency’s expertise and on which patients, health care providers and the U.S. pharmaceutical industry rely," company spokeswoman Abigail Long said.

Anti-abortion groups expressed disappointment, saying the ruling highlighted the importance of this year's election, in which Democrat Biden, who has pledged to defend abortion rights, faces off against Republican Donald Trump, who has the strong backing of conservatives who oppose abortion.

"Joe Biden and the Democrats are hell-bent on forcing abortion on demand any time for any reason, including DIY mail-order abortions, on every state in the country," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America.

If Trump were to win the election, his appointees to the FDA would be in a position to impose new restrictions on mifepristone. Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, alluded to the possibility in a call with reporters after the ruling. Calling the case “one tactic in a broader, relentless strategy” by anti-abortion activists, Chavez Rodriguez said that if Trump is elected, his advisers and allies would try to ban abortion nationwide “without the help of Congress or the court” and also restrict access to contraception — a threat, she said, to blue as well as red states.

The mifepristone dispute is not the only abortion case before the court. It is also due to decide whether Idaho’s strict abortion ban prevents doctors in emergency rooms from performing abortions when a pregnant woman faces dangerous complications.

Mifepristone is used as part of a two-drug FDA-approved regimen that is now the most common form of abortion in the U.S.

Abortion is effectively banned altogether in 14 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that backs abortion rights.

The FDA had the backing of the pharmaceutical industry, which has warned that any second-guessing of the approval process by untrained federal judges could cause chaos and deter innovation .

Last year, Texas-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a sweeping ruling that completely invalidated the FDA’s approval of the pill, leading to panic among abortion-rights activists that it would be banned nationwide.

The Supreme Court put that ruling on hold, meaning the pill remained widely available while litigation continued.

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in August then narrowed Kacsmaryk’s decision but left in place his conclusion that the FDA’s move to lift restrictions starting in 2016 was unlawful.

Both sides appealed to the Supreme Court. The court in December took up the Biden administration’s appeal in defense of the later FDA decisions, but it opted against hearing the challenge to the original approval of mifepristone in 2000. 

The Supreme Court focused solely on the later FDA action, including the initial 2021 decision that made the drug available by mail, which was finalized last year.

Lawrence Hurley covers the Supreme Court for NBC News.