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The Link – Matthew Manning

One very interesting diagnosis was received from Thomas Penn concerning a Mr. F. Smith. His son had asked me to find out what could be said about this person.

"Here we again have a-relatively simple case. Weak points are legs, ankles, heart, blood and circulation.  He is suffering from myrocorditis, the heart muscle being affected, which is resulting in auricular fibrillation in which the ventricles are beating irregularly, and his auricles are failing to contract and remain dilated and in a state of tremor.  A quiet life and a non-stimulating diet are needed to cure. Something alien in his leg has given him trouble, but is safe now."

Rather than being merely a list of the patient's ailments, it explains what the heart trouble is and how it is caused.  However the most intriguing part of the message is contained in the last line:

"something alien in his leg has given trouble, but is safe now."

I had no knowledge of the medical condition of this gentleman or his past history. I was told later that whilst a young man, Mr. F. Smith had been the victim of a motor-cycle accident which had severely injured his leg. He had undergone an operation during which a metal pivot had been put in his leg. Initially this caused great discomfort, but this subsided after some time.

Thomas Penn is different in so many ways from the average communicator of messages. He is not petty, irrelevant or obstreperous as are so many of them. He does not ramble on, and what he writes is always positive and usually accurate. It is a contrast to the host of messages which warn that something "may happen", or that something else "may be wrong". Thomas Penn's descriptions are definite and decisive.