The First Patient

Most of the U.S. officials and private communications experts who visited Peking this month were interested in scheduling and press coverage for President Nixon's trip to China. Colonel Chester Ward, however, inspected Peking Hospital, checking out such matters as anesthesiology equipment and the supply of A-positive fresh blood, the President's type. On returning to Washington, Dr. Ward reported to his boss, White House Physician Walter Tkach, and gave the hospital good marks. The exercise was not academic; if Richard Nixon should need hospital care in China, he will get it in Peking Hospital's VIP wing.

For Air Force Brigadier General Tkach (pronounced Ta-kosh), the procedure was routine. Whether the journey is to Amarillo or to Asia, Tkach and his staff investigate medical facilities in advance to make sure that they can offer proper care to the President. The doctors also plot the most direct route from any point on the itinerary to the nearest hospital. Tkach is satisfied that Nixon's health will be well protected in China. "We feel safer on this one than on most," he says. "We feel security will be very good, and I think their medical practice and capability is such that we'll feel safe in case of an emergency."

Miniclinic. Not that any trouble is expected. Tkach, who supervised Nixon's annual physical examination at Bethesda Naval Hospital last December, reports that the President is in excellent health. But the doctor is taking no chances. Tkach is updating Nixon's inoculation record for yellow fever, plague, cholera, typhoid, typhus, tetanus and smallpox, though China has brought such infectious diseases well under control. Bottled water will be taken along, though Ward's tests showed that the local supply will not trouble American digestive systems.

Tkach, who has visited 21 countries and covered more than 270,000 miles since Nixon took office, always accompanies the President on trips. Black bag in hand, he is rarely more than a few seconds away from the nation's First Patient. Nixon's plane, The Spirit of '76, carries a miniclinic, including a defibrillating machine for use in case of a heart attack, blood plasma and a tracheotomy set.

Even at home, Tkach is never far from his charge. He and his staff of nine have a suite of offices on the ground floor of the White House, from which they keep track not only of the President, but also of Mrs. Nixon, Tricia and Julie. Above his desk the doctor keeps a light board showing the whereabouts of every member of the family. Tkach's home at Andrews Air Force Base has a hot line to the White House and a helicopter landing pad next door.

Tkach and Nixon appear to have an excellent doctor-patient relationship. They met in 1953, when Tkach, serving as assistant to President Eisenhower's physician, treated Tricia and Julie for sore throats. He accompanied the then Vice President to Moscow in 1959 and on other foreign trips. In 1961, Tkach resumed his military practice, only to be called back to the White House by President-elect Nixon seven years later.

Tkach considers Nixon a near-perfect patient who tends to take care of himself. The President eats prudently and generally follows medical advice. But Tkach admits to concern about Nixon's apathy toward exercise and recreation. The President jogs in place every morning, but he bowls only every other week, while a year ago he bowled once or twice a week. He also finds less time for swimming than formerly. "I discussed this with him," says Tkach, "but I can only recommend." The President, like most busy men faced with the same recommendation, does not seem able to find the time to heed it.

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