Hacmaturia

The hearts of Liberal and Laborite leaders were in their mouths last week. From Addison Road, in London's West End, word came that 68-year-old David Lloyd George was gravely ill as a result of hacmaturia (passage of blood in the urine). An emergency operation was necessary.

Since the last general elections which swept Scot MacDonald into office, not once but several times the support of Liberal Lloyd George has been all that has kept the Laborite Government in office. Recently Liberal oxen have galled under the Lloyd George yoke. Sir John Simon, busy last week in the defense of Lord Kylsant (see p. 17), left the party in disgust, was sped on his way by the hot little Welshman as follows:

"In his intolerable self righteousness, [Sir John] reminds one of a teetotaler who all his life looked with wrathful disdain on any one who touched a drop of alcohol, however diluted, and suddenly when he was approaching his seventh decade took to drink, and you saw him rolling from one side to another, and then he ended his career by entering into an inebriates' home."

By "inebriates' home" hot David apparently meant the Conservative Party, though Sir John Simon had not taken that step last week. But what if Lloyd George should die? Would it mean the breakup of Liberalism? Would self-righteous Sir John lead the remaining Liberals to the inebriates' home too? Would it mean the end of the Labor Government?

Fortunately the question remained purely academic. Lloyd George did not die. His urethra was explored by skillful Dr. John Swift Joly (author of Stone and Calculus Disease of the Urinary Organs). While King George's physician, Lord Dawson of Penn, nodded sagely over the operating table, the learned medicos removed his prostate gland. Next day David Lloyd George was sucking tea through a goose-necked tube.

He could not have picked a better time for a serious operation. Parliament had just adjourned till October; it was safe to leave the Liberals to the tender mercies of his faithful lieutenant, Sir Herbert Samuel, until then.

By doctors' orders Mr. Lloyd George was preparing last week to start on a round-the-world cruise as soon as he is strong enough, searching for sunshine.

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