Doctor Curmudgeon® He Didn’t Do It Alone

By Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D. FAAP Doctor Eisman is in Family Practice in Aventura, Florida with her partner, Dr. Eugene Eisman, an internist/cardiologist

It had finally cooled down. And so, in the early evening, I felt the courage to sit outside with a cup of tea.

After a few moments, I was delighted to hear the rustle of skirts. I smelled that faint whiff of lavender and vanilla. Her signature scent announced the arrival of my great-great-great grandmother, Dr. Cranky Wangshaw-Vesalius-Steinberger.

Grandma Cranky was a rare woman as she practiced in the Victorian Era with few female colleagues. Her cousin was Dr. John H. Watson, the private physician to Sherlock Holmes. My grandmother was even entrusted with Holmes’ medical care when Dr. Watson was away.

“Ah, dear child, you live in times of strife and difficulty. But things were quite difficult for one of my dearest friends.”

“Who was this, grandmother?”

“I called her Clemmie, and her husband frequently called her Cat or Pug. But I always smiled and felt it was most fitting when he referred to her as ‘She whose commands must be obeyed.’”

I relaxed back into my chair as I learned a little about Dame Clementine Churchill, wife of Sir Winston Churchill.

Clementine was a supporter of many humanitarian causes and a firm advocate of the right of women to vote. This brilliant and ambitious woman was forced to adhere to the society of early twentieth century where woman did not have equal rights. And so she became the rock supporting her husband in life and in his political career.

A strong, capable, intellectual woman, she did not shy away from giving her husband advice on his speeches. Her support was evident at meetings, conferences and campaign events.

There were many times during their fifty seven year marriage, that Clementine pulled him out of trouble.

Shortly after their marriage in 1909, the newlyweds arrived at the Bristol Railway Station. Churchill as a member of parliament was to give an address there. Suddenly, Clementine’s new husband was attacked with a whip and pushed toward a moving train. Grabbing his coattails, his bride pushed him out of the way, saving his life.

Clementine worked tirelessly behind the scenes of this great man. She made sure to befriend his allies. She was a strong influence behind his political decisions.

There were times when Winston sunk into a deep depression. It was Clementine who raised his confidence in himself, lifting him out of these dark times.

In 1911, Churchill was appointed First Lord of The Admiralty, a political and civilian post. He had advocated a risky plan for the invasion of Gallipoli and this battle became a horrible slaughter. It was felt there was incompetence on the part of the military commanders. Churchill was blamed for this disaster and became the scapegoat. He was demoted to a low level cabinet position.

Clementine understood the political complexities of her husband’s situation and knew that he had to redeem himself. And thus, with his wife’s complete backing he volunteered to join the Royal Scots Fusiliers as an infantry officer. Picking up a gun, he became a soldier fighting in the trenches of World War I.

Churchill confided completely in his wife. Clementine Ogilvy Spencer Churchill influenced some of the most critical decisions of World War II.

Churchill had told his chief of staff, General Ismay that his wife was his most trusted confidante. He said to the General that without her support and influence, “the history of Winston Churchill and of the world would have been a very different story”

Dame Churchill had often confided to my grandmother that she wanted to be a statesman herself. And Grandma recalled an NPR interview with her biographer, Sonia Purnell: “she once said early in life she would have loved to have been a statesman in her own right if only she had been born with trousers, rather than petticoats.”

Dr. Curmudgeon suggests “Bitter Medicine”, Dr. Eugene Eisman’s story of his experiences–from the humorous to the intense—as a young army doctor serving in the Vietnam War.
Bitter Medicine by Eugene H. Eisman, M.D. –on Amazon

Doctor Curmudgeon® is Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D., a physician-satirist. This column originally appeared on SERMO, the leading global social network for doctors.
SERMO www.sermo.com

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