My Years with Ludwig von Mises.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

old acquaintance and as his most honored patient. He knew Lu's
books, and he knew more about him from Human Events, which
was the literature laid out on the table for his patients. Dr. Harwood
was an unpretentious country doctor. His office was simple,
with wooden chairs and a No Smoking sign on the wall. But when
he had office hours, which he had daily with the exception of
Thursday, every seat was taken. When a mother came in with a
little baby and the child was crying, everyone had to wait; the
child was treated first. Clad in a simple white shirt, his trousers
held up by braces, he was a humanitarian in the real sense of the
word: his profession was to help and to heal.
Lu was very ill that summer, with an infection, and I found Dr.
Harwood to be a first-class diagnostician. He took excellent care of
Lu, arranging for him to be brought immediately to the Hospital in
Bennington. When Lu was dismissed too early and had a relapse,
Dr. Harwood came to the house whenever Lu needed him. When
Lu had to reenter a hospital and Bennington was overcrowded,
Harwood arranged for me to bring him to Williamstown in Massachusetts.
Lu wanted to have me with him all day long, so I hadto
drive fifty miles daily .while he was in Bennington and one
hundred miles while he was in Williamstown. People suggested
that I stay near the hospital, but I longed to go back to our little
house at night to be there when the telephone calls poured in.
One day Percy Greaves came out to see Lu in the hospital in
Williamstown, and I asked him to stay overnight at our house. I
had just received permission to take Lu home the following day.
Percy agreed, and when we left the hospital at eight 0'clock, he
followed me in his car. Suddenly a terrible thunderstorm developed.
It was raining so hard as we drove through the lonely mountainous
part of the country that we could not see ten yards ahead.
There were no roadside turn-outs nor any possibility for shelter;
we simply had to drive on. Percy followed me, watching my car
closely, ready to help if I should need him. We arrived at the house
late and left early the next morning. We had the same drive part of
the way. Percy was supposed to return to New York, so I described
the place where our two cars would have to part. But when we
came to that spot, I saw that Percy was still following me. I
stopped and he told me: "You don't think I would let you bring the
Professor home alone? How could you manage?" And he went all
the way back with me to Williamstown, took care of the formalities,
and helped Lu, who was very weak, to our car and made him
comfortable. Then he went back with me to Manchester and stayed
until he was sure that I could manage alone. Only a very, very
devoted friend would have acted this way.
Lu recovered completely that summer, but he himself realized
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