 The story of Dr. Kildare. Whatsoever house I enter, there will I go for the benefit of the sick. Whatsoever things I see or hear concerning the life of men, I will keep silence thereon, counting such things to be held as sacred trusts. I will exercise my arts only for the good. The story of Dr. Kildare, starring Lou Ayers and Lionel Barrymore. 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. First, your announcement. A lump of grey-white buildings planted deep in the heart of New York. A nerve center of medical progress, where great minds and skilled hands wage man's everlasting battle against death. Blair General Hospital, where life begins, where life ends, where life goes on. Have you seen Dr. Kildare anyplace? No, I haven't. He doesn't seem to be in the hospital. And he isn't out on an emergency either, I checked that. Wait a minute, Lesby. I'll bet I know just where he is. Lesby, look at that big crane. Isn't that something? I should say it is. And look at the way those girders are being lifted up just as though there weren't any... Kimmy Kildare, you have no business down here. You're on duty at the hospital, and no one at the hospital has known where to find you. Well, I just walked down here for a minute to watch. Does anyone want me? They certainly have. Who? Me. You? Yes, me. And when I want you, I'm supposed to be able to find you. Yes, Doctor. There goes that crane again. Look at that. You know, as long as I've been at the hospital, no one has had to go looking for me during working hours. And another thing... Well, well, well. Here are my two naughty boys. Well, good morning, Doctor Kildare. Good morning. Now, where should we be right this minute? Come on, Kildare. I told you that you should be... I hope you aren't teaching Doctor Kildare bad habits, Doctor Kildare. You hope I'm not? Every time a new building has gone up anywhere in the neighborhood, Doctor Kildare, we've had the same trouble with Doctor Kildare. He's like a big, overgrown boy. Can't keep away. Oh, that's not true. That's ridiculous. I never... Now, now, back to work. Come on. So you've had this kind of trouble with Doctor Kildare before, haven't you? If I hadn't come along just when I did, Heaven only knows how long he would have stood there. Oh, pickles. You talk as though I were a delinquent minor. Well, dear fellow, as head of the hospital, I must administer the scoldings, as well as the pads on the head when they're needed. The patient just arrived for you. I put him in your office. A Mr. Mallory. Oh, thanks, Molly. I'll go right in. Now, you say it worked, Doctor Kildare. Don't you let Doctor Gillespie lead you astray any longer? Oh, fiddles, indeed. I'll do my best to keep Doctor Gillespie from leading me astray, Doctor. That's a good fellow. Oh, Mr. Mallory? Yeah. Oh, I'm Doctor Kildare. Oh. So now, won't you? Oh, thanks. What seems to be the trouble? I haven't been feeling very good. My wife's been after me to come to... Well, tell me about it. Well, I haven't had much appetite. I get these pains in my stomach. Severe pains? Yeah, pretty bad. When did they start? Have the pains become worse as time passed or remained about the same? My wife kept taking my temperature, but I didn't have any. Then a few days ago, I got this sort of tingling sensation in my wrists and hands. It's gotten tougher and tougher for me to use them. Oh, that's so. I've been trying to go right on working, but the day before yesterday, I kept getting dizzy. So I went home. Oh, I'm thirsty all the time, too. I see. Well, Mr. Mallory, would you go in the next room over there and then undress? I want to examine you. Yeah, sure. And I'd like to have Doctor Gillespie examine you, too. He's a fine diagnostician. Okay, whatever you say. Oh, my wife is sitting out in the waiting room. Tell her I'll be a little wilder. Of course. Uh, Mrs. Mallory? Yes. Oh, I'm Dr. Kildare. Your husband's going to be a little wilder, and we're going to examine him. Do you think it's anything serious, Doctor? Oh, it's nothing for you to worry about. Tell me, what does your husband do? He's a painter. I see. I wanted him to come to see a doctor before this, but he's so stubborn about things like that. Have you noticed any change in his disposition lately? Oh, I should say I have. Constantly irritable and depressed. Of course, he's been feeling so rotten. Yes, I understand that. The foreman called him in last week and told him he'd been making mistakes that had cost the company money. And, well, if he made any more, they were going to have to let him go. Well, that's because of the way he's been feeling. Now, it won't last. Where's he been working? On the building project across the street. Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, Dr. Gillespie, this is Mrs. Mallory. How do you do, Doctor? I do, Mrs. Mallory. I wonder if you'd have a look at Mrs. Mallory's husband with me, Dr. Gillespie. I'd like your opinion. I'd be glad to. His abdominal pains are localized and relieved by deep pressure. Mr. Mallory, will you open your mouth again, please? Yeah. You see, there's absolutely no sign of any bluish line around his mouth and gums. It certainly isn't. And that's what's astounding. Oh, why, Dr. Gillespie? Well, you have all the other indications of plummism. But, plummism? And lead poisoning. You say you're a painter, Mr. Mallory? Yeah. Do you always wear a protective mask when you're spraying? Yeah, I do. Well, it may not be lead poisoning, of course. Mr. Mallory, suppose you spend the night in the hospital and take some blood tests. Okay. Now, by the way, what's your foreman's name? Farrell. Sid Farrell. Well, while you're taking the tests, I think I'll have a talk with him. He may be able to help us. Mr. Farrell, I'm Dr. Kildare from Blair General Hospital. This is Dr. Gillespie. Well, how do you do? Well, what can I do for you? We're pretty busy here, as you can see. I won't keep you for a moment. We have one of your workmen under observation at the hospital. Well, what do you want me to do about it? Send him flowers? We wanted the help from you, Mr. Farrell. And unless you want to have a lot more of your workmen, I'll say you better give us whatever help you can. All right. All right. Which one of the men is at the hospital? There's a man named Gordon Mallory. I might have known. Worst man on the job, always making mistakes. Well, maybe he had a good reason for his mistake. Mistakes cost money. We haven't got time to nurse along anyone that can't do his job and do it right. I was going to pay him off at the end of the week anyhow. If a man's ill, isn't his fault if he don't do a good job? Ill. That big bruiser? We could make two of most of the men working here. Well, let me tell you something, Mr. Farrell. If Mallory has lead poisoning, which is what we think he has, then it may be your fault he's sick. A foreman's supposed to look out for the health of his men. Look, doctor, I'm very busy, and I haven't got time to stand around chewing the fat about what my duties are. I know my job. To get this building finished, your job is to take care of sick people. You take care of Mallory, and I'll take care of my business. But don't you see you should be taking preventive measures of some sort for the protection of your other work. My workmen are all right. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work. Hey, watch where you swing that frame! Uh, come on, Jimmy. We aren't going to accomplish anything here. I guess you're right. No, no, what do I see here? I thought we were on our honor to stay at our jobs. We're down here on a case, Carol. One of the workmen's in the hospital. Oh, well, of course. That puts a slightly different face on the matter. And while we're on this subject, what are you doing down here? Oh, I was dust-passing by. Dust-passing by? I think that whole building project could bear a little investigation. Dr. Kildare, please. Not on hospital time. I'll bet you anything you care to name. Before the week is over, we get some more of those workmen in the hospital. It doesn't give two cents for the welfare of anyone. I'm afraid you're right. I'm not sure if Mallory does have lead poisoning. We should learn that from those blood tests tomorrow. I got so nervous when they phoned and said you wanted me to come over. Sit down, Mrs. Mallory. There's nothing to be upset about. No, no, your husband's going to be all right. We have found out that your husband does have lead poisoning. It's a chronic type, which has developed over a long period of time. Can you cure it? Oh, sure. Of course we can. We simply put him through a process of diet and treatment that removes the lead. Diet? Yeah, yeah. You see, food with a calcium content helps retain the storage of lead and the bones. So we'll put him on a high phosphorus diet and that'll help him get rid of it. He'll have the things like meat and liver and potatoes, rice and bananas. Oh, it's not a difficult diet. And then, of course, there's certain medications. He's going to have to stay in the hospital for three or four weeks, so... Four weeks? Yeah, it seems like a long time to you, but it is necessary. Well, it's just that financially things have been a little difficult for us. But we'll manage. Doctor, how did he get it? I haven't been able to figure that out yet. I do believe that the construction company is responsible for your husband's illness, and yet he said he didn't have his mask on all the time, and that should have given him adequate protection. Yes, a real puzzler, all right. Yes? There's an emergency case in the receiving room, Dr. Kildare. One of the workers from the building project. What happened? I don't know. They said he suddenly was seized with convulsions. He's delirious now. Oh, come on. This man has a bluish line along his gum margins, all right. Look at that. This is an acute case of lead poisoning, all right. Don't inject magnesium sulfate right away. I have it right here, Doctor. Thank you, Molly. That's fine. There. That should quiet him. Now then, I want him to have lavage with 1% sodium sulfate, egg-albumin drinks, and calcium gluconate intramuscularly. Yes, Doctor. By the way, what does this man do on a construction job? They said he's a welder. A welder? It doesn't add up. Well, let's go back down to that building project and have another talk with the foreman, and this time let's inspect the whole place. We'll find out what's happening to those men, and Ferrell, or no one else, is going to stop us. Just a moment. We will return to the story of Dr. Kildare. But whatever it is, I haven't got time to play games with you. I'm working against time as it is. We're already behind schedule on this business, and you keep coming down here and interrupting me all the time. Now, I see here, Mr. Ferrell, you've got a job to do okay. So have we. But two men from this outfit are in the hospital with lead poisoning, and it's our job to find out why. And also to see that more of them don't end up the same way. Watson didn't look too good when I took him on the job. I shouldn't have hired him. I can't understand you, Mr. Ferrell. Why don't you want to help your men? I haven't got any more time to waste talking, Dr. Good... whatever your name is. Do you realize that Watson might have died? In fact, he would have died if science hadn't only recently discovered antidotes for poisoning of this sort before in cases like his when a man had convulsions and delirium, he died within a few days. Watson has this cerebral form of plummism. All right. What do you want me to do about it? I want to inspect the places where both Maori and Watson work. I'm not going to have you walking around bothering my men. We won't bother anyone. We simply want a chance to observe their working conditions. No, I'm not going to start anything like that. Mr. Ferrell, if you don't permit us to inspect this building, we're going to take the case to the State Board of Health and have them inspect it. There's nothing going on here that would concern the Board of Health. I'm sorry, but we think there is. All right, all right. Look around if you want to. There you go. Show these two gentlemen over the whole layout, will you? This is where Maori works, huh? That's right. They're not wearing protective masks, all right. Well, I have to. The company wouldn't let a man work without a mask. Oh, lunchtime, huh? Well, for some of the men. It's a rush job. They only take 30 minutes for lunch and shifts. The men eat right here on the spot, do they? Yeah. They don't lose any time that way. What are those men doing? They burn the rivet holes. Oh, yes. This is where Watson works. Oh. How can they sit here and eat in all this heat? Oh, they get used to it. Certainly must. I couldn't take it for very long. Well, come on. Let's get out of here. Well, much from there, did I? There, except for those fast lunches. But eating a fast lunch wouldn't give a man lead poisoning. No, it certainly wouldn't. But something did, and that's what we've got to find out. There's a wide difference between Watson's case and Maori's. Yes. Yes, Watson had lead encephalopathy, caused by excessive exposure to fumes. His case is acute. Maori's isn't. Maori wore a mask. Yes. And that mask should have protected him completely. Now, what about Watson? Well, let's go up and see him as soon as we get back. He ought to be improved enough by now to be able to talk to us. Mr. Watson? What hit me? Lead. Somebody threw it at me? No. You did this yourself. You crazy. You don't think I'd slip myself on that key, do you? Well, you did, son. Pretty hot where you work, isn't it? Yeah, but you get used to it. How do you feel now? A little unsteady. I got the dark ganas metallic taste in my mouth. Oh, well, that'll pass. How long have you been working on this job? Oh, about a month. Where'd you work before? I just wound up a job in Brooklyn. You did the same sort of work over there, huh? Yeah, yeah. Burned rivet holes. That was a rough job, too. No kidding. Tell me what happened to me. Well, I can't tell you. You've had a pretty severe attack of lead poisoning. You see, you were constantly exposed to the fumes of burned red lead. Of course, you were only wearing a welder's hood, and you weren't exposed to what caused your attack. Well, I guess that'll teach me. What happens to me now? Well, you will stay here in the hospital for a short period of treatment. But you'll be all right. Well, we've got a buddy of yours here for the same job. Yeah, I know. Mallory. Nice guy. In a day or so, we'll put you both in the same room so you can have someone to talk to. Thanks, son. I'd like that. Now, you rest. Take it easy. We'll be back to see you a little later. Oh, here you are. What about the case from the building project? Another case? An emergency? No, this one walked in under his own steam. I put him in your office, Dr. Gillespie. His name's Farrell. Pressure hurts, Teddy. After you left, I got hold of a book on lead poisoning and read up on it. It'd be pretty serious at that, can it? It's a very serious matter, Mr. Farrell. What are you going to do about me? I don't know. You suggest, Dr. Gillespie? I've been turning the matter over in my mind, Dr. Kildare. You'll have to put me through that deletting process, won't you? I don't think that would help in your case. Do you, Dr. Gillespie? No, I'm afraid not, Dr. Kildare. You mean nothing can be done to help me? None of the antidotes for lead poisoning will do a thing. Why not? Because you don't have lead poisoning. I don't? You've got all the symptoms. Cute abdominal pains, weakness, dizziness. Those are also the symptoms of acute indigestion, Mr. Farrell. That's all that's wrong with you. Acute indigestion. You've got a bellyache, Mr. Farrell. You sure of that? Positive. I'll put on your clothes. We want to have a little talk with you. Fortunately, both of your men are getting well. With a little cooperation from you, I think we can prevent any more of them from becoming sick. If you've been reading about lead poisoning, you know how serious it is. Yes. You know, I must admit, I owe both of you doctors an apology. Now, Mr. Mallory has a temporary paralysis in his wrists and hands, but as soon as the de-ledding process is completed, he'll be given massage and exercise, and he should recover pretty quickly. Do you know what caused Mallory's illness? It couldn't have been the fumes because he wore a mask. Well, that's right. That's the problem. Dr. Kildare and myself. But we finally figured it out. Mallory ate his lunch right where he worked. While he was eating, other men were spraying. Over a long period of time, he was exposed to the gradual amounts of fumes and absorbed enough to cause the poisoning. Did this just happen on my job? No, no. This happened over a period of about three years. Mallory always ate close to the job. It never occurred to him. Not to. You talked to all the men about it right away. Watson's case is a little different. He was overcome by the fumes from the burned paint, and his illness is much more serious than Mallory's. Absorbed lead is transferred in the bloodstream and may be found in the liver, the spleen, the kidneys. It's a great threat to the tissues. We have to force the bones to store the lead in order to prevent damage to the brain tissues. Can you do that? A little complicated to explain, but we can. We'll be able to help both men. Well, what can I do for the protection of my workman? For one thing, you can see that any men you hire are given a physical to find out whether they've already absorbed any lead in their systems. Because if they have, then you're running the risk of lead poisoning. I see. And you should insist that all your men be examined regularly every three months. Tell them always to drink a lot of milk. Well, I sure will. I never realized my men were in any real danger. I didn't want to baby them, but... Well, I'll watch out for this now. I promise you that. I'm sure you will, Mr. Farrell. And we'll be around to see that you do, Mr. Farrell. I did not check up on you, really, but frankly, we'd like an excuse to come down and watch the work. It's fascinating. From now on, you're more than welcome. So long. Bye. Bye. Well, he turned out to be a pretty good Joe after all, didn't he? He certainly did, after we scared him to death. Come in. Is there a discussion? Or can anybody get in? Anybody can get in, if their name happens to be Molly Bird. I've made all the arrangements to have Mr. Watson moved in with Mr. Mallory. Good. And Mrs. Mallory just went up to see her husband. Well, that's fine, Molly. Fine. Kill there. Have you any more patience to see? Not for about an hour. Why? Well, why don't we go into conference over a checkerboard? Well, you'll be perfectly safe. Dr. Karoo won't catch it. What makes you so positive? He's down watching the building project. What? Karoo down watching the building project? He certainly is. After all the lectures he gave us, well, what do you know? Kill there. Why don't we join Dr. Karoo? I was just about to suggest that, Dr. Gillespie. Come on. Let's see what our leader is doing with that king-sized tinker toy. In just a moment, we will return to the story of Dr. Kildare. Is it in things like this? Well, I'm not real. Leader, we see, but am I right? No, I mean I'm not really here. I'm just passing by on my way to the hospital. That's where I really am. Oh, and my way to the hospital. Well, that makes everything perfectly clear, doesn't it, Dr. Kildare? Now, see here. You boys don't think for a moment that I'd come down here when I should be at the hospital? Oh. Oh, no. Oh, look at that crane go. Isn't that something? It certainly is. The biggest crane I've ever seen, that really is something. You know, when I was a boy, I was one, you know. That's the kind of job I wanted. Do you know, Dr. Karoo, we all did. I think you're right. And it's because of the boy each of us was, and still is, inside, that we're down here right now. You may be right, Dr. Gillespie. Oh, he is right. That's exactly the right diagnosis, Doctor. Exactly the right diagnosis. Dr. Kildare, starring Lou Ayers and Lionel Barrymore. This program was written by Gene Holloway and directed by William P. Russo. Original music was composed and conducted by Walter Schuman. Supporting cast included Eleanor Audley, Ted Osburn, Dick Simmons, Tony Barrett, Jack Petruzzi, and Lillian Bayef. Dick Joy speaking.