Arthur Hailey - Strong Medicine

"For that matter," Celia said, "congratulations to you. I've just read the report on Hexin W.”

"I expect it to be recognized as one of the major discoveries of the century," Lord acknowledged matter-of-factly. Even a certain mellowing with the passage of years had not dimmed his appreciation of his own worth. In his conversation with 'Celia, Lord did not choose to admit she had been right about Montayne, and himself wrong. His reasoning was that she had merely made a lucky, unscientific guess; therefore she deserved no more intellectual credit than did the holder of a winning lottery ticket. Despite the tentative rapport with Celia, he was relieved when, after Sam Hawthorne's death, she did not become president. That would have been too much to live with. For once, he thought, the board of directors had shown some sense. As the world entered the new year of 1978, Hexin W continued to be a strong center of hope at Felding-Roth.

The appointment of Preston O'Halloran as Felding-Roth president pro tem made little difference, if any, to Celia's responsibilities and day-by-day routine. The day after the special board meeting, O'Halloran had been open and frank with her. They met-just the two of them-in the president's office suite. The sight of a new tenant in quarters which until so recently had been occupied by Sam was a poignant reminder to Celia of her grief at Sam's death, which she still had difficulty accepting. Speaking carefully with his well-bred New England accent, the elderly O'Halloran said, "I would like you to know, Mrs. Jordan, that I was not one of those adamantly opposed to your becoming president. I'll be equally honest in admitting I did not support your candidacy, but would have gone along with a majority in your favor, had that been possible. I even went so far as to inform the other board members of that.”

"I'm interested to know you regard that as 'going far,' " Celia acknowledged, with a touch of acidity she could not resist. "Touch0" The old man smiled and she thought: at least he has a sense of humor. "All right, Mr. O'Halloran," she continued briskly, "so both of us know where we stand, and I appreciate that. What I need from you, in addition, are instructions on how you wish me to operate, and our division of duties.”

"My close friends call me Snow.”

Again a wry smile.”The name originates from a misspent youth when I did a great deal of skiing. I'd be glad to have you use it, and perhaps I may call you Celia.”

"Okay-you Snow, me Celia," Celia said.”Now let's lay out how we work.”

She knew she was being bitchy, but didn't care. "That's easy. I would like you to carry on exactly as you have until now-and I am aware that is with great competence and resourcefulness.”

"And you, Snow? What will you be doing while I'm being competent and resourceful?" He chided her gently, "The president does not have to account to the executive vice president, Celia. It is the other way around. However, so there is no misunderstanding between us, let me concede that my knowledge of the pharmaceutical business is in no way comparable with yours, in fact far less. What I do know a great deal about-almost certainly more than you-is company finance. It is an area needing special attention at this time. Therefore reviewing money matters is how I shall spend most of the six months, or less, I will be occupying this chair.”

Celia admitted to herself that she had been dealt with courteously and with patience. She said, more pleasantly than earlier, "Thank you, Snow, I'll do my best to keep up my end of that arrangement.”

"I'm sure you will.”

The new president did not come into the office every day, but when he did he developed a financial master plan for Felding-Roth, covering the next five years, which Seth Feingold described to Celia as "a gem, a real contribution.”

The comptroller added, "The old codger may need a cane to walk, but not for his mind, which is still sharp as a razor blade.”

At the same time, Celia came to appreciate O'Halloran herself his support of everything she did, and his unfailing courtesy. He was truly, in an outmoded description she remembered, "a gentleman of the old school.”

Consequently she was sorry, in the last week of January, 1978, to learn of his confinement to bed with influenza, and genuinely sad a week later when Snow O'Halloran died of a massive coronary occlusion.

This time there was no two-week delay in appointing a successor. The matter was settled the day after O'Halloran's funeral. No viable outside candidate had appeared, even though the president pro tempore had served more than four of his agreed six months. There was only one possible choice and the board of directors made it, taking less than fifteen minutes to decide what should have been decided the previous September: Celia Jordan would become president and chief executive officer of Felding-Roth.

The raw idea had come to her on the flight back from Hawaii last August. A remark of Andrew's had triggered it. He had said to Celia, Lisa and Bruce: "I don't believe a drug should be taken for anything that is just uncomfortable or self-limiting.” The subject was pregnancy. The Montayne disaster, fresh in all their minds, had prompted the remark. Andrew had added, advising his own daughter, "When your time comes, don't you take anything... And if you want a sound, healthy baby-no liquor, wine, or smoking either.” Those words were the foundation of what Celia was now ready to propose as a fixed company policy. She had a name for what she planned: the Felding-Roth Doctrine. She had considered bringing the idea forward sooner, during her time as executive vice president, but decided against it for fear of being overruled. Even after her appointment as president she waited, biding her time, knowing that what she intended would require approval of the board of directors. Now, seven months later, in September, she was prepared to move. Bill Ingram, recently promoted to vice president of sales and marketing, had helped with the wording of the Felding-Roth Doctrine, of which the draft introduction read:

FELDING-ROTH PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED solemnly pledges:

Article 1: This company will never research, manufacture, distribute, or market directly or indirectly, any pharmaceutical product intended for use by women during pregnancy and aimed at treating any natural, self-limiting condition, such as nausea and sickness, relating to a normal pregnancy.

Article 2: Felding-Roth will actively advocate, in all ways open to it, that no pregnant woman shall have prescribed for her, or shall obtain and use directly, during a normal pregnancy, any such product as described in Article 1 and originating elsewhere.

Article 3: Felding-Roth will advise pregnant women to avoid the use of all prescription and non-prescription drugs its owns and those of other companies-throughout their pregnancies, except those drugs prescribed by a physician for exceptional medical needs.

Article 4: Felding-Roth will further actively advocate that pregnant women abstain, throughout their pregnancies, from the use of alcoholic beverages, including wine, and from cigarette and other smoking, including the inhalation of smoke from other persons...

There was more. Another reference to physicians was included in part to uphold the advisory-trust relationship between doctor and patient; also as a sop to doctors who, as prescribers, were Felding-Roth's best customers. There were references to special conditions, such as medical emergencies, where the use of drugs might be essential or overriding. As Bill Ingram put it, "The whole thing makes more sense, Celia, than anything I've read in a long time. Someone in this business should have done it years ago.”

Ingram, who had voted against Celia and for Montayne at the critical meeting prior to her resignation, had been penitent and uneasy at the time of her return to Felding-Roth. Several weeks later he had admitted, "I've been wondering if, after all that happened, you want me working here at all.”