In August 1934, a 20-year-old named Ann Cooper Hewitt had lunch with her mother, Marion.

They talked about what kind of life Ann wanted when she turned 21 and would no longer

be a minor.

They talked about Ann getting married, starting a family.

And so they're dining and she suddenly struck with stomach pains.

Author Audrey Claire Farley.

And her mother has the chauffeur drive her to a hospital in San Francisco, which is where

they lived.

And they're at the hospital, the family doctor is waiting.

And he just says, well, Ann, I understand you have appendicitis.

But he never examined her abdomen.

Instead, he takes her to another room where there's a psychologist.

And that woman begins to ask her civics questions.

So she says, what is the longest river in the United States when was the battle of Hastings

fought, questions like that?

And Ann doesn't answer her.

Instead, she says, why are you asking me such ass-in-eyed questions?

So four days later, she returns to the hospital under the auspices of having her appendix

removed.

And I think that's very curious because today we tend to know that appendicitis is more

of an acute issue.

And when she's convalescing, she overhears her nurses talk about their, quote, idiot

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