12. Seminar on Depression
Sunday Seminar is gathered in the Sociology Conference Room at Hunter College around the mahogany brown oval table with the usual persons. Additionally Xenia Green, in plain brown dress, showing bare legs and sandal shoes, her hair cut short at shoulders with no beauty parlor sheen and just her natural fragrance. Professor John Edwardes is at head of table - the end far from and facing the door. Eddie in soldier uniform with notebook & pencil poised for speed writing sits around the oval curve at the Professor's left and Stan is across from Eddie. The chair at the other end of the table is strangely empty, thinks Eddie, knowing ahead of time who the surprise guest will be.
At 1 PM, Eddie shakes a hand-bell and Edwardes stands.
"Welcome to Sunday Seminar. Today we look at Depression, a growing affliction of our society. For many, Depression is a state of mind, the down of the normal up and down in daily life. But, increasingly, the hospitals are filling with persons who start to feel nothing but Depression and some of them become so unhappy and hopeless they try suicide." He looks down to his right at Stan. "Today, a fellow Seminaran - Dr Stanley Pelc - will guide us."
Edwardes stops short as the door facing him opens and in comes Dr. Irving Goldberg, now first-year neurosurgery resident, followed by the great Leo Davidoff and the inevitable Missy Prissy carrying his black briefcase. Eddie looks up and thinks he hears trumpets.
"Dr Davidoff, what an honor! Please sit at the head of the table. And two more chairs for Irving and the Miss."
They sit and he continues, "Now Dr. Pelc. And remember, this is Seminar, not a lecture; anyone may interrupt any time."
Stan, speaks without standing or notes. "I am a neuropsychiatrist, which means trained in brain diseases and psychiatry and neuroanatomy and psychology. I shall talk about Depression - the disease not the attitude - from a daily life standpoint."
Sam, the light-skin super's helper interrupts: "Aw, don't simplify us, Doc. Give us the real science."
Stan, looks across the table to his right at Sam, "I do not simplify. Depression, in my experience is a disease of daily life and not something originating in the brain, although" nodding to Dr. Davidoff, "the brain is important as a route for depression to get expressed."
Sam nods understanding.
"Each one of you? Why do you keep on living? If you could press a button and painlessly disappear never to return to consciousness, would anyone here do it?" He pauses and looks about
Xenia Green jump starts. "I would have pressed that button recently after a certain event in my life. Now, I don't think so." She stops embarrassed. "Oh, excuse me, I didn't mean to get personal".
Stan looks at her. "Miss Green, or better for us here Sane-ya. Why not now?"
"I'm not going into the causes of my change. That's my business. But I can tell you I've started to look forward during each day to pleasures in my life. The scrumptious waffles under sour cream & blueberry sauce I recently learned to make for breakfast, the wonderful espresso coffee I just started drinking at someone's suggestion. My new home hobbies that occupy my leisure times happily. The new job I have at the hospital where I meet the best new people and have nice lunches. The new radio shows they've introduced me to in evenings. The ...."
Stan indicates her to stop with his right hand raised and says, "Very good Xenia. What you say helps explain better than I was going to. We all want to live day to day in order to experience the happy moments of our lives. After all, no matter what one's belief, no one really thinks he or she will have any other life but this that each of us has for 70 or so years, and the happiness we get from it is what makes us want to stay alive as long as we can because once we die, it's for eternity.
"Hear! Hear!" adds Sam, who is atheist. Brenda glances at Sister Barbara on her left; the Sister shows no change in her attention.
"But if one or the other of us loses the ability to experience the happy times of life, or has his or her mind overwhelmed by a bad event, he or she may become increasingly unhappy and, finally, hopeless. And that hopelessness is the disease I call Depression. And if it seems permanent, some who experience it try suicide."
Everyone is surprised at a new voice - quiet and authoritative - Leo Davidoff. "Try suicide is too mild a phrase, Dr. Pelc, for the terminal discontinuity which is a symptom that no one recovers from. Therefore all efforts must be on prevention."
Professor Edwardes who is purposely asking critical questions follows "But, Dr Pelc, is that all Depression is? A lack of joyful eating, good interests, entertainments?"
"No, sir, but the kind of person who does not have these enjoyments, for whatever reason, is at much higher risk for suicide than Miss Xenia is now that she has these enjoyments for her life."
Edwardes: "But what, Doctor, is the root cause of Depression? Is it body chemistry, as some are beginning to say? Is it brain structure? Or is it the vicissitudes of life?"
Stan: "Look at it like a model: First, personality - those who don't know how to enjoy or can't enjoy life; those who are naturally down, the Gloomy Gussies. & Gusses. Then there are bad events that can knock over even the strongest personality- disgrace, crippling illness, major frustrations like a spouse wanting divorce, a lover kicking you out. Finally, the social condition - the expectations of society, the employment status of a person, the racial or religious responses in the society."
Sam interjects. "Say racial one mo' time. We folks of color know it badly."
Stan continues: "We cannot control everything but I say: Learn to withstand bad events. It's practical because there is nothing we can do now about body chemistry. And there is little or nothing we can do about the problems in society.
Sam interrupts. "But we gotta try, Man !"
Stan: "Excuse my unthinking negativity, Sir; actually you are correct. I attack Depression in a preventive way by advising every person who worries about it to improve his or her strengths - start with self esteem, educate one's self up, think about the times you have succeeded in life, helped others; and work on getting the best job, learn to improve and widen healthy pleasures and interests in life, and above all - don't put all your emotional eggs in one basket by loving only one person, having only one goal in life, believing wholly in an ideology or a religion."
Nicola the pizza chef, dressed as usual in spaghetti-sauce-stained white garb gets in. "Pronto, Mr Doctore! The peopla in Italia know about how badda to feel believin' in ideolog like fascismo and Mussolini. No more ideolog, jussa science anda art like D'Anunzio say."
Stan responds. "Yes, that is my advice. Don't get hooked up to beliefs because beliefs can fail you. Stick to facts - that is science."
At 1 hour, Eddie chimes his hand bell and the Professor says "OK, as usual we have a pizza and pasta spread courtesy of Luigi's and cooked by Chef Nicola." He nods to the smiling chef - "Thank you Nicola." Then he looks at everyone "But, today, we shall expand it into what I call Seminar Soiree." He turns toward Brenda. "With apologies to your French sensibilities since Soiree means an evening party, does it not?"
Brenda shakes her head with a laugh. "Not here it ain’t. Oh ! Pardon my grammar."
Edwards looks to Eddie who quickly gets up and goes to notify the secretary, and in the next minutes, with Brenda's and Xenia's help, the pizza and pasta with big bowl of green salad and another bowl of fresh fruits and the drinks - pure water, Coca Cola and Ginger Ale - are laid on the oval table, on a newly set, black tablecloth, and the folding chairs are arranged about the large conference room for many tete-a-tetes
13. The Seminar Soiree Tete-a-Tetes
Sister Barbara stands out everywhere except in her church, because of her black, bulky nun's garb. All you can see of her close up is a chubby, cheery face with intelligent blue eyes, a pug nose, and an unlined forehead making her look younger than the late 30s age those who know her guess she is. Immediately the plan for the soiree is announced she gets up and goes to the front to Irving Goldberg, who is not looking her way but saying something to Missy Prissy, as everyone calls Leo Davidoff's old maidish secretary.
"Doctorr Irrving." Barbara announces to his left shoulder and her distinctive accent immediately alerts him. Excusing himself to the Missy and turning his head he recalls the nun he saw that day in Sunday church with Sheila.
She sees he is at a loss. "I am a frriend a the nurrse Sheila. May we sit?"
They go to a pair of chairs and Barbara reaches into her sleeve and comes out with a letter on which Irving's stamp-collector eyes spot a stamp of The Irish Free State. She hands it over. With an idea it is from Sheila, he tears it open. Inside is a picture of an infant and a letter in a nurse's clear script. "Irving, don't worry, I will never make trouble. I wish you only good. Here is your son we call Little Irving. I am raising him in Eire. You are always welcome to meet him and through Sister Barbara I'll write occasionally and tell his progress. I am always yours, Sheila."
Irving Goldberg is not emotional. But Sister Barbara, a good judge of psychology, sees from the way he quickly hands back the letter, he is so affected he might actually cry. She stands quickly, taking the letter and says in low voice. "Be happy, Doctorr, and don't forget: Me old mither in Eire tells me she always needs assistance and Nurrse is just perrfect."
And Irving, recalling what Sheila had laughingly said about Sister Barbara, quickly reaches in pocket and comes out with a $100 bill - Ben Franklin on it - and hands it to the Sister, who puts it in her sleeve and thanks him, for her old Mither in Eire again in low voice and then moves off toward the food & beverage.
In another part of the forest that is the soiree, Brenda sits with Xenia Green, whom she'd introduced herself to as Dr Stan's close friend. Stan had asked Xenia, during their last session, "Would you mind speaking with Brenda on women's matters?" What he had in mind was finding out if she knew how to enhance her sensual enjoyment by masturbation. It is part of his program to reverse the anhedonia he sees as part of serious depression. Xenia had said "Any friend you think can help me, is OK by me." So now they sit, both with pizza slices and Coca Colas.
"Xenia! What a beautiful name! Classier than my own Brenda! Look, we don't have a lotta time and Stan thought it important a friendly same-age woman asked you rather than he do it. And before I ask I want to say I do what I'm going to ask you about?"
Xenia shows a puzzled look. "Shoot away, Brenda."
"I like to call what I have between my thighs my box. We women all have one, of course. Do you use your fingers on it to get pleasure?
"Oh, that. Well, Brenda, I was brought by a strict Mama. We are Roman Catholics."
"Hey, me too. You gotta meet Sister Barbara!"
"OK. But let me say, I don't play with myself. But now, all this happened to me, I been reading about it. But, I worry, from my religious training. Will it really be OK? I heard you can go crazy, and some priests - I mean the father I confess to - say we could go to hell?"
Brenda pats Xenia on right shoulder "I got just the person for you. She looks toward the table and calls "Sister!"
A minute later she leaves Xenia and the Sister sitting together in happy conversation, thinking, I think that will be OK. Barbara taught me all about everything.
In another place Eddie sits with Leo Davidoff, as Missy Prissy brings them slices of pizza and pure water. Aalways she is careful about the great Leo's good health. Davidoff has heard from Professor Edwardes that Eddie is learning the new computers and he is picking Eddie's brain for knowledge instead of operating on it as he usually does with brains.
"Young man, is this machine you call, computer, some sort of artificial intelligence, like a science-fiction robot that Mr. Isaac Asimov writes about?"
Eddie would have never guessed Leo Davidoff read the sci-fi magazines but now he knows. "No sir, basically it's a mathematics calculator - if you can visualize the work of a thousand arithmetic calculation machines run electronically, and with a memory to store the numbers and your instructions what to do with those numbers - all in a box the size of a large refrigerator - that's it."
"A memory that directs the calculations! Remarkable! What are you using it for?"
"We are generating our statistics of all the recruiting in New York State, broken down into multiple categories - age by 1 year intervals, location in the state by cities and counties, body size statistics and many other things."
"Young man, you are in on the start of something big." Davidoff turns to Miss Prissy. "Get this young man's data and make an appointment for him to see me as soon as he can."
To Eddie. "I want to talk more with you about this. But now I must be going."
Eddie sits with Miss Prissy and the Miss remarks with a twinkle of humor: “Please pardon Dr Davidoff, he likes to quote Groucho Marx.” Then, more seriously, “What is the one stripe on your sleeves?"
"Private First Class, Ma'am. Everyone says PFC. I just got the promotion."
"Oh, how nice. I know nothing about soldiers. When you visit Dr Davidoff, we must go somewhere for lunch and you tell me. Also I want to learn your speed writing."
"Sure Ma'am." Eddie looks at her out of the side of his eye. Not bad for an Old Miss. Maybe she is 35 or 36. Hm?
Later, Professor Edwardes grabs Eddie. "Boy, you really did it well! Leo Davidoff admires you and wants to get a little of your assistance. I said I can loan you out as he needs it. There'll be extra pay and the time will be your convenience. Boy! Didn't I advise you to learn something no one else knows that will be important in the future? You bet I did. It comes from that Physician's Notebooks. It shall be your ticket to ride."
Later in life, Eddie always recalls that phrase.
To continue reading next, click 14.(14-16) The Day the World Stood Still for Eddi...
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