The Project Book

CHAPTER 61 WHAT’S THE PROBLEM AND THE OUTCOME?

When I was seven I broke my left leg. I’d come home from a family visit, kicked the football in our backyard against the wall, ‘scored’ a great goal and celebrated by swinging on the washing line that was hung between two metal posts in the yard.

Now, washing lines in those days weren’t security-minded, childproof arrangements. That is to say, it was a bit of blue plastic slung between a couple of green posts concreted into the ground, so when I leapt up and grabbed it, it broke. By the laws of gravity I came down hard on the concrete and landed awkwardly on my leg, which ended up sticking out at an unnatural angle.

I don’t remember much after that except for being in the hospital for what seemed like 12 hours, before Dad picked me up (with my freshly plastered leg), insisting to the doctor on duty that ‘he’s not staying here’. I got to go home and stay up late and watch The Battle of Britain on TV. They were good days, apart from the broken leg of course.

So what does this trip down memory lane have to do with getting clear on the problem?

When I arrived at the hospital it would have been obvious to anyone that my leg was broken. Still, instead of simply giving me a painkilling injection and putting my leg in plaster (that’s what they did in 1977) the doctor did five things:

1. He asked for a detailed account of what happened, how I fell onto the leg and whether I’d had any previous leg injuries (Dad could answer the last one).