Cary T. Grayson Diary
Title
Cary T. Grayson Diary
Creator
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938
Identifier
WWP17164
Date
1919 May 13
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
The President arose early and spent the morning in his study going over various matters pertaining to the Peace Treaty. Because the committees to which the German labor and prisoner of war notes had been referred were not ready to report, there was no work for the Council of Four in the morning, and the President took advantage of it to clean up a good deal of business matters that had been hanging fire.
The President devoted a part of the morning to writing out headings for his forthcoming Message to Congress on his own typewriter and afterwards went unaccompanied for a short ride.
My boil was still troubling me so I remained in my room and I did not lunch with the President and Mrs. Wilson. Immediately after lunch the President came to my room to inquire how I was feeling. He sat down by the bed and discussed the future of the medical profession. He said: “I feel shy at the doctors who specialize too much. They only become acquainted with one area of the body - perhaps a very small area, and they do not know what is going on in the other regions. As I have heard you say, when a patient goes to see an uptodate physician he sent to one assistant or colleague to examine his blood, another his urine, another to an eye specialist, and so on, each making an examination without knowing what is going on in the other regions. I think it has a tendency to narrow the individual physician. I want for mine a general practitioner, who does not depend so much for other assistance and machinery to make his diagnosis. I think the old time general practitioner is the best medical man, and I believe that the medical profession will have to react back to that. I hope you will continue to practice in general and not localize too much.” The President said that one winter he, Mrs. Wilson and their three daughters had thirteen specialists during the winter, and he added with a smile: “And it wasn’t such a very ill family at that after all. Fortunately, thirteen is my lucky number and we came out all right.”
The President talked with me until time for his conference with Thomas Nelson Page, the United States Ambassador to Italy. He gave the President at first-hand his impressions of what should be done to solve the controversy with Orlando and Sonnino.
In the afternoon the Council of Four conferred again, taking up the terms of peace with Austria. They referred to the drafting committee a number of problems upon which an agreement had been reached. These dealt especially with the eastern Austrian boundary question.
After dinner the President brought in his little Hammond typewriter in its case and put it on the table and resumed the work of framing his message to Congress. Before beginning he said: “I can change this key-board and can make it French, Italian or almost any other language. I do this by changing a bar of the type. However, all but English is barred.” He said: “This message must of necessity be very short because I am leaving my real message until my return home so that I can deliver it in person.”
The President and Mrs. Wilson were very solicitous about my neck, and Mrs. Wilson offered to open the abscess for me saying that she had done it a number of times for her father, who had been affected with the same trouble. I gladly accepted her generous offer. Their sweetness and kindness to me is indeed touching. They are so human and genuine.
The President devoted a part of the morning to writing out headings for his forthcoming Message to Congress on his own typewriter and afterwards went unaccompanied for a short ride.
My boil was still troubling me so I remained in my room and I did not lunch with the President and Mrs. Wilson. Immediately after lunch the President came to my room to inquire how I was feeling. He sat down by the bed and discussed the future of the medical profession. He said: “I feel shy at the doctors who specialize too much. They only become acquainted with one area of the body - perhaps a very small area, and they do not know what is going on in the other regions. As I have heard you say, when a patient goes to see an uptodate physician he sent to one assistant or colleague to examine his blood, another his urine, another to an eye specialist, and so on, each making an examination without knowing what is going on in the other regions. I think it has a tendency to narrow the individual physician. I want for mine a general practitioner, who does not depend so much for other assistance and machinery to make his diagnosis. I think the old time general practitioner is the best medical man, and I believe that the medical profession will have to react back to that. I hope you will continue to practice in general and not localize too much.” The President said that one winter he, Mrs. Wilson and their three daughters had thirteen specialists during the winter, and he added with a smile: “And it wasn’t such a very ill family at that after all. Fortunately, thirteen is my lucky number and we came out all right.”
The President talked with me until time for his conference with Thomas Nelson Page, the United States Ambassador to Italy. He gave the President at first-hand his impressions of what should be done to solve the controversy with Orlando and Sonnino.
In the afternoon the Council of Four conferred again, taking up the terms of peace with Austria. They referred to the drafting committee a number of problems upon which an agreement had been reached. These dealt especially with the eastern Austrian boundary question.
After dinner the President brought in his little Hammond typewriter in its case and put it on the table and resumed the work of framing his message to Congress. Before beginning he said: “I can change this key-board and can make it French, Italian or almost any other language. I do this by changing a bar of the type. However, all but English is barred.” He said: “This message must of necessity be very short because I am leaving my real message until my return home so that I can deliver it in person.”
The President and Mrs. Wilson were very solicitous about my neck, and Mrs. Wilson offered to open the abscess for me saying that she had done it a number of times for her father, who had been affected with the same trouble. I gladly accepted her generous offer. Their sweetness and kindness to me is indeed touching. They are so human and genuine.
Original Format
Diary
Files
Collection
Citation
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “Cary T. Grayson Diary,” 1919 May 13, WWP17164, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.