“Ancient wisdom.”
“Say what?”
“Yes,” he said. “Ancient medical wisdom. I’ve been asked to
do research and make recommendations.”
There sat Reggie the Young Conservative in all his yuppie
glory amidst a pile of notes and objects. He was typing on my laptop.
“What the hell, C.W.? What’s up?”
“Helping out,” he said.
“With what? For whom?”
“Tweaking the Anti-Care Act. For the Party.”
“Do you mean the so-called Affordable Care Act?”
“Oops,” he said. “That’s an inside joke. We’re not supposed
to call it that in public. Anyway, some senators say it’s not harsh enough and
want some cheaper approaches. I’m tasked to look at ancient ones. I’m on Egypt
now.” He reached into the pile and retrieved a note. “Here’s one. Comparison
Centers. They will save a bundle.”
“What on earth?”
“Herodotus tells us that an Egyptian with a particular
illness would sit by the town gate with a sign listing the symptoms. Along
would come someone who had suffered those same symptoms and survived. He’d
share the cure and move on, cheap medical care if there ever was such a thing.”
“Comparison Centers?”
“Yep. We’ll place them in places with heavy foot traffic. We’ll
even include chairs. We’re not heartless, you know.”
“Uh … . any other cost saving ideas?”
“You betcha. Here’s an idea I call ‘shame shacks’ that will
save even more.”
“Shame shacks?”
“Yes. We believe, like the ancient Egyptians, that most
illness are cause by a lack of religion. So we’ll furnish quiet places for the afflicted
to go and repent while they pray.”
“You have to be kidding.”
He stiffened. “If you know anything about us, you know we
don’t kid. A sense of humor is a sign of weakness. Quick,” he said, snapping
his fingers. “Who is Secretary of Education?”
“I see.”
“Then don’t ever accuse us of kidding about America’s
future.”
“Any other ideas?” I tacked the conversation toward calmer
waters.
“Happy Halls.”
“And? Ancient Egypt again?”
“They were certain that beer would ‘gladden the heart’ in
general, but when one was ill, medicines mixed with beer—and combined with
spells—were thought particularly effective. Beer and wine were also prescribed
for children and nursing mothers. A prescription from the Ebers Papyrus for
childhood incontinence calls for the mother to drink a cup of beer mixed with
grass seeds and cyperus grass for four days while breastfeeding the child.”
“So, Happy Halls would furnish free beer to the ill?”
He frowned. “Did you just use the word ‘free’ or was I
dreaming? I never said beer would be free. Free is only for humans that happen
to be corporations. Still, beer is cheaper and more plentiful than some medications,
and many of the poor are already using it for other purposes.”
“I see.”
“Excuse me,” he said. “He rose and walked to a bookshelf and
picked a volume of history. I took the opportunity to examine his papers.
 |
| Self-diagnosis and repentance: sure cures for most ills. - C.W. |
One caught my eye. “An onion?”
“Put that down,” he said. “We’re pretty sure we’re going to
abandon that one or modify it substantially.’
I started to return it, but noticed something that made me
gasp. “The onion is placed where? In a woman’s what … ?”
“Shut up,” he said. “Do you want Mrs. Big Dope to hear us?”
“And it determines what?”
“Hush.” He said.
“You don’t have any females on your committee, do you?”
“Too demanding. Not harsh enough. Too many moving parts. Now
if you’ll excuse me,” he said, opening the volume of history. “I’ve got to get
to the Chinese. If my chapter on birth control isn’t finished this week, they
might throw me overboard like unwanted garbage.” He stopped, jerked his head toward
the ceiling as if the overhead light had just flashed, and turned back to the
book. He began to thumb the pages, muttering to himself and completely ignoring
me.
See also:
Delta Dreaming
All Hat No Cattle
Order Big Dope's Book at Wattensaw Press, Amazon, or other book sellers.
All Hat No Cattle
Order Big Dope's Book at Wattensaw Press, Amazon, or other book sellers.
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