I was not the only family planning doctor who was concerned that by choosing preventative work rather than a healing role we were following a soft option. Although I was not aware of it at the time, I had a nagging sense that I was letting my father down by not working in general practice. His interest in contraception had been driven by his knowledge that the chances of producing healthy, undamaged babies were higher if they did not arrive too early or too close together. Although his passion was obstetrics, the major part of his time was spent caring for the sick, while my patients were, in the main, fit and well. He had developed chest pain and began to fail before we left Wakefield. Biz came from America to visit him. I hate to imagine her misery when she had to return over that large expanse of water, knowing she would never see him again. My brother Arthur and I went home as often as we could. On one of my visits, Father complained that even the weight of his pyjama jacket on his sternum was painful.
