Summary of A Man Who was a Hospital
This humorous essay is written by Jerome K. Jerome. In this essay, the sense of humor of the writer is appreciable. He considers himself a man of all diseases. As he reads or hears about any disease, he feels as he is also suffering from the same disease.
According to the writer, one day when he was reading a circular that is about a liver pill. He felt that there was a problem with his liver and was out of order. This made him worried. To know further about liver disease, he went to the British Museum and started to study the details of this disease. When he studied the symptoms, he was surprised because he was feeling the same symptoms.
He decided to search for some more diseases but he wondered when he suspected that he was also suffering from the diseases he studied about. After this, the writer had no work besides disease research. So, he started reading all the diseases alphabetically.
Whatever he read about diseases, he found every disease in himself with accurate symptoms. Only one disease he didn’t feel in himself and that was house maid-kneed disease. Surprisingly, he didn’t worry at all after knowing a lot of diseases in him. Rather, he thought his body will be most beneficial for the medical students. He thought that there must be a hospital inside his body and the medical students can get their education of all diseases by wandering around his body.
So, he went to a man in the medical field and discuss all that he was suffering from the situation. He examined him thoroughly and said he is absolutely ok. Then departed him by giving a prescription.
He thought the doctor must write some medicines for him in the prescription. So, he went to a chemist to take the medicines and handed the prescription to him. The chemist looked at the prescription and return it. The writer didn’t understand then the chemist told him what was written on that prescription. It was:
“11 lb. be
of steak, every 6 hours. 10 miles walk every morning, Bed at 11 sharp every night. And don’t stuff your head with things you don’t understand”.
The writer conveyed a significant message to us in a very beautiful and humorous way. According to him, we should not think so much about what we can’t understand. Everything is not necessary to be understood thoroughly. We should ignore unimportant things and spend our precious time on useful and beneficial activities rather than wasting our time on useless things.
Questions Answers of “A Man Who was a Hospital”
Q1: How did the writer feel that his liver has some problems?
A: He felt that his liver has some problems when he read a circular of a liver pill.
Q2: Which disease he did not find in himself except all diseases?
A: He did not find house maid-kneed disease in himself and was disappointed for not suffering from this disease.
Q3: Was he happy when he came to know that he didn’t have one disease among all the diseases?
A: Not at all, instead of being happy, he felt hurt and disappointed.
Q4: What was the first reaction of the writer after finding so many diseases in himself?
A: The writer was astonished after knowing about the diseases inside him. He thought that he must be suitable for the medical students and an interesting case for them.
Q5: According to the writer, why should he present himself as an asset of the medical class?
A: After discovering various diseases, he started considering himself a hospital where the medical student can educate and get their diploma regarding all diseases.
Q6: What happened when he went to the doctor?
A: When he told the doctor about his condition, the doctor checked him thoroughly, gave a prescription, and ask him to go home.
Q7: Why did the writer decide to visit a doctor?
A: He thought that the doctor would get more experience by studying him instead of concerning hundreds of patients.
Q8: What was written on the prescription?
A: The prescription was:
“11 lb. be
of steak, every 6 hours. 10 miles walk every morning, Bed at 11 sharp every night. And don’t stuff your head with things you don’t understand”.
Q9: Elaborate on the visit of the writer to the chemist.
A: He reached there and handed over the prescription. After reading the prescription, the chemist said that he couldn’t oblige him.
Q10: What does the meaning of the phrase written in the prescription: “Don’t stuff your head with things you don’t understand”.
A: This is a significant piece of advice the writer wants to give us. Sometimes, we start thinking too much about useless things and worry by concluding wrong results. The same was the case with the writer but when he followed the prescription, he became healthy. Actually, the problem was in his mind not his body.
Q11: What was the condition of the writer when he entered the British Museum and return?
A: The condition in both situations was totally different. He entered the reading room as a healthy and happy man. But when he came back, he was turned into a desperate person having a lot of diseases in himself.
Q12: Had the heart of the writer stopped beating?
A: No, actually when he studied heart disease along with its symptoms, he felt that his heart is not beating and surely, he was suffering from heart problems. So, suddenly patted himself at the front. Soon, he felt his pulse which was moving too fast and he came to know that his heart is beating.
Q13: Why did Jerome visit the British Museum?
A: He visited the British Museum to know about the treatment of hay fever.
