 The story of Dr. Kildare. What's the weather house I enter? There will I go for the benefit of the sick. What's the weather things I see or hear concerning the life of men? I will keep silence there on. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer brought you those famous motion pictures. Now this exciting, heartwarming series is heard on radio. In just a moment, the story of Dr. Kildare. But first, your announcer. The great citadel of American medicine. A lump of gray-white... He likes to make a production of everything. He's pretending that it's all a terrific nuisance and he doesn't really want to go. But he isn't fooling anyone. Oh, Dr. Gillespie. Oh, we have a couple of... Did you make any decision what you're operating? To observe his technique. If you hadn't been there, it's there. And the child's doing fine. So why can't we forget the whole thing? I don't suppose it happened. Queela's just been working too hard, that's all. I know he was on emergency all last week. I like Queela. Of course he's young. He hasn't had a lot of experience yet, but he's intelligent. I think he has a fine future in medicine. Gentlemen, I have a responsibility. Every time he went into the operating room. Well, what explanation has Dr. Queela offered? Party the night before the operation. And didn't get any sleep. Wait, you asked him for an explanation? Yes. But all he says is... Stop in for a minute and say goodbye. I didn't thank you for taking over for me during the operation the other morning. I'm really very, very grateful for that. Operation many times. I don't know. I just suddenly couldn't hold my hand steady. What were you doing the night before, Queela? I was around. What time did you get to bed? I didn't get much sleep. You want to tell us about it, Bob? There isn't anything else to tell. Then I guess there isn't anything more to be said. You know, this can turn out to be a very serious matter, Bob. For your own good, you should be willing to talk about every excuse you have. I don't have an excuse, Dr. Queela. There is any excuse for what happened in that operating room. I appreciate your concern more than I can tell you, but I just don't have the... Dr. Carew is going to fire me, isn't he? Certainly, I hope not. Bob, we'll see you when we get back. Good luck, son. Front door and there's a taxi waiting. Where are your guns? Hold it with our bags. Now, for heaven's sakes, don't shoot each other. I won't shoot him as long as he behaves. The object in going hunting isn't to catch anything anyhow. It's just to... Just to get outdoors. You'll take care of him, won't you, Dr. Kildare? Oh, I'll do my best, Molly. Take care of me. Say, do you think you're talking to a child, Molly? Sometimes I do. Oh, go bury your head in a tub of formaldehyde. Why, Dr. Gillespie, that's the nicest thing you've said to me in weeks. Have a good time. Meeting room, that's about all. People live in cabins scattered back to the hunting and fishing. They're wonderful. And there's something in the air. Something that makes you throw your shoulders back and start climbing. We're getting in. Streets are always empty, by the way. You won't see the soul around. Now get the bags. You go ahead. They don't stop here long. Are you kidding? Come on. I thought you said there wouldn't be any people around. Looks like quite a mob of cars and wagons over there. It's good to see you. This is Dr. Gillespie. Here's Raleigh, Doctor. Oh, hey, Doctor. Yeah, they told me at the depot what time you was doing. What's going on over at the meeting house? Yeah, let me take that for you, Dr. Gillespie. Thank you. They're waiting to see you, Doctor. To see me? They want to see both of you, as a matter of fact. Oh, something happened? Well, there's been some mysterious disease going around, Doctor. Five children have died in the past week. What? Five children? It's what's so confoundably peculiar about the whole thing. Children all appeared to be perfectly healthy, man. All of a sudden, they wouldn't be able to breathe. A little later, well, they'd be dead. Well, what'd your local doctor say? Well, we don't have a local doctor anymore. The last one died a year ago. Now, whenever anyone is real sick, they have to go clear down the mountain to the next town, or the doctor has to come up here. But it's a long trip, and he's too busy where he is. Everyone's been frightened by the epidemic, and when they heard that you were coming up here, well, they drove in from miles around to talk to you. Well, we'll just leave our bags at the boarding house and come right over. Well, we don't have any instruments with us. We'd better phone to Blair General and sum up and supply a penicillin and oreo mycin. Sounds to me as though that's what we're going to need. What is it, Mrs. Richie? It's my boy. We'll come right away, please. He can't breathe. He can't breathe. Oh, where's your house? It's just up the street. Come on, Dr. Gillespie. I'm right behind you. It's an inflammation of the larynx and the trachea. It's caused by a germ similar to influenza. It causes the opening of larynx, causing asphyxiation. I'm going to have to perform a tracheatomy if your son's to live, Mrs. Richie. I haven't any instruments. Yes, I have a hunting knife in my pocket somewhere. Oh, here it is. Have you a pair of tweezers? Yes, I have. All right. Just get me some alcohol quickly. We'll operate with what we have. We'll have to work without an anesthetic. What are you going to do? Get in the throat so we can breathe. I'll be back to see him later. Oh, Dr. Kildera, I'll never be able to tell. Don't thank me. Just thank God that we got it. Come on, Dr. Gillespie. Let's go over and talk to the people in the meeting house. We've gotten any number away. We're going to try the isolated children who have been exposed from children who have not been. You're needed right away on the other side of town. The Martin child. I will come right away. Pretend I can see Indians slipping from tree to tree. The old Daniel Boone riding along in his horse gave me crocodiles with his bear. Sometimes when there was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning, I'd almost see Paul Bunyan striding across the sky. In those days, I was going to be an explorer and lead expeditions to new frontiers. Well, it seems to me that scientists and doctors are the only real explorers left in the world today, and the frontiers of medical progress are the last real pinnacles left for man to conquer. You're prejudiced, of course. Oh, I am, sure, of course. Medicine is my whole world and my only really important world. Everything else must take second place. You know, sometimes I think it means more to be a doctor in a town like this than in a big institution like Blair General. Ah-ah-ah! Now, now, Jimmy, don't go getting any fool ideas like that. Well, there are so many doctors at the hospital and not one doctor here. Well, you can see that if there'd been a doctor last week, five children might be alive now. Hello there! Whoa! It's Molly and Dr. Wheeler. What are you two doing here? Good morning. Bob and I came to the rescue. We've got penicillin, instruments, oreo, mycene, everything else. Well, I asked for another doctor and I volunteered for the job. And I convinced Dr. Caru that if there was an epidemic, you certainly needed a nurse. We certainly are glad to have you both. Oh, thanks. Is it a bad epidemic? Well, pretty bad. These kinds of cases are difficult to handle because the child seems perfectly normal and well, and suddenly, a few hours later, he's ill. However, with penicillin and oreo, mycene, I think we'll be able to check it fairly rapidly. I'd like to have a look at the patients I operated on last night right away. What can I do, doctor? Would you be willing to wait around here, Bob, in case any emergencies develop? You bet. Well, I imagine you'll want to go upstairs and rest for a while after you drive anyhow. Well, I would if I'm not needed. I would like a long hot bath. You just go right in and holler for Mrs. Kelly. She'll take care of you. May I borrow your car, Bob? Help yourself, sure. Thanks. Well, come on, Dr. Gillespie, let's get to work, huh? If you are Larry, you're going to be up in no time. I'll never be able to tell you what this means to me, Dr. Kildare. Oh, I know what a boy like that must mean to a mother, Mrs. Richie. Well, now, who on earth is that? Molly! Please, please, come at once. Bob and I went out on the case. It's a little girl, and she's in pretty bad shape. She needs an emergency right away. Well, Doctor, we were going to... He asked me to get you as quickly as possible, Dr. Kildare. I don't think he feels he can perform the operation. All right, come on. Everything's ready for you. You want me to operate? Yes. I want you to save this child's life. You can do it, Dr. Wheeler. You can do it. Story of Dr. Kildare in just a moment. It goes for me, too. Well, thanks. Thanks for making me do that operation, Dr. Kildare. How do you feel now? Well, I feel fine. I'll feel even better after I have that bath I thought it was going to take three hours ago. Me, too. Well, see you later. Call me if I need it. You know, Dr. Gillespie, I've got a theory about that boy now. You're going to have a talk with him. But first, I think you and I had better canvass the village and take a look at every child here. We can give a shot of penicillin to each one that shows even the slightest symptom of anything that might turn out to be disease. Yeah, I agree with you. Now, who in the... Oh, no! Boy, it couldn't be. You certainly are a surprise. I knew you'd be overjoyed to see me. When I heard about my two fellows pitting their strengths against an epidemic without their leader, I knew my place was here in the front lines beside you, and so I came. Thank you, Dr. Karoo. Smoking like a general. Yes, wasn't it? Oh, by the way, Dr. Karoo, I'm glad you're here. I want you to know I just watched Bob Wheeler perform a tracheotomy, and he did a very fine job. Didn't he, Dr. Glassman? He certainly did. Well, even so, that hardly alters the fact that the other morning he went to pieces, and I... I think I know why now. I'm not sure, but I think I do. Why? Well, let me have a talk with Wheeler, and if my reasoning makes any sense, I'll tell you all about it. Fair enough. Now then, what can I do to help? Well, we were going from house to house examining children. Then I shall accompany you. I, too, shall risk my life. Bravo! Jimmy, why don't you talk to Bob while Dr. Karoo and I make the round? Oh, you don't need me? No, no. Dr. Karoo will give me every possible assistance. I will, dear chap. I will. All right, I'll talk to Bob. Before that, Tonsa liked me the other day. You had chills, didn't you? Why, uh... I'm not sure. Did I? Yes. Have you been having trouble with my grain headaches? No, no, I haven't. Chills, hypertension? I'll bet if I took your blood pressure right now, I'd find it was high. Emotional reaction, lack of confidence and depression. All the symptoms are there. I don't agree that all the symptoms are there. Why should you try to deny it? All right. Suppose we have Dr. Gillespie examine you and see what his diagnosis is. No. No, his diagnosis would be the same as yours. I've tried to hide these attacks for months now, but there's no use any longer. What do you want to hide them for? Well, I was afraid Dr. Karoo would think I couldn't be depended on. He dismissed me from the hospital. Oh, but that's ridiculous. How many times have you heard Karoo say there's no room at Blair General for a man who can't pull his low? Well, he meant that for people who are lazy, not people who are ill. When did you start having these headaches? While I was an intern. First, they weren't very serious, and I thought they were caused from studying and losing a lot of sleep. Later, I realized there were migraines and I began giving myself treatments. What did you use? Ergotamine tart rates. Did that help? Yes. Hadn't had an attack for almost six months until the other day in the operating room. I see. This morning, I thought I was getting one when I found myself faced with that tracheotomy. But it didn't materialize. Well, migraines can be psychosomatic. You can bring on an attack sometimes simply by fearing that you're going to have one. You should never have tried to prescribe for yourself anyway. You should have come to one of us. Dr. Kill, isn't it true that sometimes a doctor is the hardest person in the world to persuade to see a doctor? You're probably right about that. I know that many types of migraine are difficult to cure. And as I said, I was so afraid of losing my position at the hospital. Bob, I think your type of migraine can be cured. Of course, I'll have to examine you thoroughly, but you show all the indications of having the type of migraine that's caused by a lack of histamine. If I'm right, we can cure you permanently with injections. Yes, I read about it. It's a new treatment. They've had some wonderful results with it. How about it? Will you put yourself in our hands, Bob? I certainly will, Dr. Kill. Good. You want to stay at the hospital permanently? Well, not forever. What I'd really like to do some day is to get a little town of my own. Well, how about this one? This one? Yes, indeed. Here's a town that really needs a doctor. And you're a doctor that needs a town just like this. Do you think they'd have me? They'd welcome you with open arms. Well, let's find out. I was very happy indeed to learn from Dr. Kill here that the incident in the operating room was due to illness and not to negligence. By the way, Dr. Wheeler is going to practice right here, Dr. Karoo. Yes, I know. And I think that's very commendable of you, Wheeler. Very commendable indeed. Well, thank you, Dr. Karoo. And as for you, Dr. Kill there, Dr. Gillespie, I must say you men have done a magnificent job. Magnificent. You are a credit to Blair General Hospital. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. Oh, now, now, don't twit me. I know how you feel about flattery, but I must pass it out when it is merited. And you have merited it. The epidemic has checked. The emergency is over. I returned to town well-contained. Now, have your holiday. Enjoy yourself. We only have three days left. Do we still have to be back at the hospital at nine Monday morning? Well, you haven't had much of a rest, have you? Tell you what, don't come in until noon on Monday. Thank you. Don't mention it. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye, Molly. Bye. You haven't got much time to hunt now, have you? How long are you staying, Molly? Oh, Dr. Karoo was very generous. He said I didn't have to be back at the hospital until tomorrow morning at nine. The old fossil. And my train leaves in half an hour, so I'd better get my bag. Oh, why didn't you drive back with Karoo? That is a fate worse than death. See you later. Oh, it's that beautiful day. I'm going to hate to leave. I don't blame you, Dr. Kill there. Let me show you around my town. Thanks, Bob. We'd like very much to have you show us around your town. In just a moment, we will return to the story of Dr. Kill there. I'd like to come up here sometime for a vacation. We didn't have much of a vacation at that, did we? Wouldn't you think that old goat Karoo would have given us a few extra days? Karoo never gives away anything except advice. You know, as hard as we worked all week, I still feel as though I had a rest. Oh, so do I. I guess that comes from living in fresh air and hiking and... No food, ever tasted better. I'll tell you that. I was really hungry. Well, I wonder what's waiting for us back in the hospital. I don't know. But knowing Karoo, I guarantee there'll be plenty of work to do. Well, there's no rest for the wicked Dr. Kill there. Quite so, Dr. Gillespie. Quite so. You have just heard the story of Dr. Kill there, starring Lou Ayres and Lionel Barrymore. This program was written by Gene Holloway and directed by William P. Russo. Original music was composed and conducted by Walter Schumann. Supporting cast included Eleanor Audley, Ted Osborne, David Ellis, Isabel Jewel and Ken Christie. Dick Joy speaking.