A Sign Of The Times

I went to the hospital this morning for my follow-up appointment with the consultant and to get the results of the biopsy. Things are fine, but the consultant was concerned that the sore area on my nose does not appear to have decreased in size and is still causing me some discomfort even after the removal of the nasty bit. So I was given a prescription for a combination antibiotic/steroid ointment and some dressings to cover the area so that it is not aggravated by my glasses. I'm not quite sure how I am going to apply the dressings though because the offending area is in such an awkward place. Fortunately I have a good supply of the dressings so that if I have the odd problem when I am cutting them to size and shape I needn't worry too much. Said treatment needs to be carried out for three weeks and hopefully by then the soreness will have gone and both sides of my nose will look the same.

As before, I arrived at the department early and having sat down to wait with my book, I was somewhat surprised to be called almost immediately. The consultant arrived almost immediately and I was out of the building 20 minutes before the actual time of my appointment. I have to say that I was really impressed, although today's receptionist was a bit sharp and offish in comparison to the lovely one who was there on my first visit.

The hospital that I attended is the largest in my part of London and is, of course, home of one of the London medical schools. The original hospital building is now at the centre of a mass of more recent additions, although many of them are probably more than 50 years old. The dermatology clinic is located in a separate building opposite the original building and today I walked past the original building on my way to the crossing to the dermatology building. Either side of the main entrance to the original hospital building there are stones marking the foundation of the hospital (by King Edward VII) and its opening (by King George V). But what attracted my attention was a stone on the corner of the building which also had an inscription carved on it.
There can be nothing that indicates how inferior a position in the hospital hierarchy that nurses occupied at the time that the hospital opened than the fact that they had a separate entrance down the side of the building. The window that can be seen on the edge of the photograph is in one of the newest parts of the hospital, the Golden Jubilee Wing (that's the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, not the hospital). Today, such discrimination is not evident.

Oh, what a sign of the times!