Polio Patient

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28690, 13 September 1958, Page 3

Polio Patient

The Long Road Back. By Edward le Compte. Gollancz. 175 pp.

Case-histories of illness with clinical details have become popular as a literary form, and poliomyelitis has a larger autobiographical output than most. Edward le Compte, Assocfete Professor of English at Columbia University, is the latest contributor, and by virtue of a clear brain,, a practised, pen, and limited courage in facing .his Stiff partial infirmity, his book will be read with interest and sympathy.

The author was in France when he was stricken in October, 1954, during a tour of Europe with his wife and eight-year-old son, Douglas. Having nd clue to the origin of certain sharp pains under his ribs on their last day in Paris, he struggled up to make a trip to Versailles, and by doing so nearly signed his own deathwarrant. Paralysis in the early stages was severe, involving both his legs and his right arm. The will to live carried him through this very dangerous phase, and with a typical laconic humour he recalled the fact that he had just published a “Dictionary of Last Words,” and was not anxious to add to it with a personal contribution.

Once his survival was assured, the extent of his final recovery became a matter of tense interest. The French doctors were hopeful, and as one of the few compensations of the disease is that patients may steadily improve for 18 months, or longer, the business of life resolved itself into encouraging his three moribund members to recover their vitality. After four months it became possible to fly him to America, but two complications, first thrombophlebitis and then an arthritic affection held up the slow process of rehabilitation. Three years of heart-rendingly slow progress followed, but first the wheel chair and then the crutches were triumphantly discarded, after which the return to mobility, if not great activity, was assured. The author’s description of hospital life, and the relations between patients and staff are set forth in a racy and delightful way. Now, restored to his home and his work, Professor le Compte is cheerfully planning his next trip overseas.