Arthur Hailey - Strong Medicine

The senator then announced, "The next witness after lunch will be Dr. Vincent Lord.”

12

Quentin and Celia ate a sandwich lunch and drank coffee from a thermos in the rear of a limousine which had been waiting for them outside the Old Senate Office Building.”It's faster and more private than we'd get elsewhere," Quentin had said when announcing the arrangement. Now they were parked on Jefferson Drive, not far from the Smithsonian, with the uniformed chauffeur pacing to and fro outside. Vincent Lord had been invited for the limousine lunch, but declined, having made other arrangements. "You're being made to look bad, and I mean bad personally," Quentin said, after a while.”How do you feel about that?" Celia grimaced.”How would anyone feel? I don't like it.”

"What's happening is a tactic.”

The lawyer sipped his steaming coffee. "Any investigation of this type, which is a political exercise, requires a showcase villain. Representing your company, you happen to be the one available. But I could do something to change that.” "Do what?" "Let me explain some background first. Donahue and his staff know about your stand within the company against Montayne, and your resignation because of it. There's no way they wouldn't know; they're thorough people. They probably know, too, the terms you insisted on when coming back, and they're certainly aware of the Felding-Roth Doctrine, and that you were its author.”

"Then why...”

"Hear me out. Also, try to look at it their way.”

Quentin nodded to a group of passing tourists who had peered into the limousine, then he turned his attention back to Celia.”Why should Donahue's people concern themselves with bolstering your image? And if they did, who else could they focus on critically? Certainly not a dead man; he's beyond their reach.”

"I suppose I understand all that, and I know you said this is a political exercise," Celia admitted.”Just the same, isn't the truth important at all?" "If I were a lawyer on the other side," Quentin said, "I'd answer your question this way: Yes, truth is always important. But concerning Montayne, the truth lies in what the company-Felding-Roth-did, because it marketed Montayne and is responsible. As to you individually-yes, you did resign. But you also came back and, in doing so, accepted your share of responsibility for Montayne, even after the fact.”

Quentin smiled grimly. "Of course, I could argue the whole thing the other way and be equally convincing.”

"Lawyers!" Celia's laugh was hollow.”Do they ever believe in anything?" "One tries to. Though perpetual ambivalence is a hazard of the profession.”

"You said there was something you could do. Just what?" "On the subcommittee," Quentin pointed out, "are several minority members friendly to your industry. There's also a minority counsel. None of them have spoken up yet, and probably won't, because doing so might suggest they were in favor of Montaynean impossible position. But what one of them will do, if I request it as a favor, is have questions asked to bring out your personal record and make you look good instead of awful.”

"If that happened, would it help Felding-Roth?" "No. Probably the reverse.”

Celia said resignedly, "In that case, let's leave it alone.”

"If you insist," the lawyer said sadly.”It's your head, and your blood on it.”

Vincent Lord took over the microphone reserved for witnesses when the afternoon session began. Once more, Urbach led off the questioning, having Lord first describe his scientific background. The subcommittee counsel then proceeded through the early stages of Montayne, Lord responding to all questions in a confident, relaxed manner. After about fifteen minutes, Urbach asked, "When Montayne was close to being marketed in the United States, and those reports from Australia, France and Spain were known within your company, did you recommend a delay?" "No, I did not.”

"Why was that?" "A delay at that point would have been a management decision. As director of research, my involvement was solely scientific.”

"Please explain that.”

"Certainly. My responsibility was to provide a scientific evaluation of the information then available, and supplied by Laboratoires Gironde-Chimie. On that basis I had no reason to recommend delay.”

Urbach persisted.”You used the phrase 'scientific evaluation.' Apart from science, did you have any feeling, any instinct, about those three reports?" For the first time Lord hesitated before answering.”I might have had.”

"You might have had, or did have?" "Well, I was uneasy. But, again, there wasn't anything scientific.”

Celia, who had been relaxed while listening, suddenly paid closer attention. Urbach was continuing.”If I understand you correctly, Dr. Lord, you were in something of a dilemma?" "Well, yes.”

"A dilemma between science on the one hand and, on the other, your 'unease'.. I am using your word-as a human being?. Is that correct.”

"I guess you could say that.”

"It is not a matter of guessing, Dr. Lord, nor what I would say. It is what you would say.”

"Well... all right, I would say it.”

"Thank you.”

The subcommittee counsel glanced down at his notes.”And for the record, Doctor, after your reading of those reports we spoke of, did you advocate the marketing of Montayne?" "No, I did not.” The series of replies jolted Celia. Lord was lying. Not only had he supported going ahead with Montayne, he had voted for it at the meeting held by Sam, sneering at Celia's doubts and her plea for a postponement. Senator Donahue leaned in toward a microphone.”I'd like to ask the witness this question: If your responsibility had been a management one, Dr. Lord, and not just science, would you have recommended a delay?" Again Lord hesitated. Then he answered firmly, "Yes, Senator, I would.”

The bastard! Celia began scribbling a note to Quentin: That isn't true... Then she stopped. What difference did it make? Supposing she questioned Lord's honesty and a debate ensued, with accusations and denials flying-what would it change? At this hearing -nothing. Disgusted, she crumpled the paper on which she had begun to write. After a few more questions, Lord was thanked for his evidence and excused. He left the hearing room at once, without speaking with Celia or looking in her direction.

Dr. Maud Stavely was called as the next witness. The chairperson of Citizens for Safer Medicine strode confidently forward from the rear of the room and went to a microphone at the witness table, some distance from Celia and Quentin. She did not glance their way. Senator Donahue welcomed the witness cordially, after which Dr. Stavely read a prepared statement. It described her medical qualifications, the structure of the New York-based organization, CSM's negative views about drug firms, and the group's early opposition to Montayne. While Celia disliked the statement's emphasis and some allusions, she conceded mentally that Stavely sounded professional and impressive. As when the two of them had met two years earlier, the CSM leader was attractive and well groomed, and today was stylishly though simply dressed in a maroon tailored suit. About Montayne, Stavely declared, "Unfortunately our protests were handicapped by a lack of funds. CSM does not have the enormous resources-multimillions of dollars-which companies like Felding-Roth can pour into sales propaganda, deluding doctors and the public into believing that drugs such as Montayne are safe, yet knowing-as they did with Montayne-that indications argue otherwise.”

As Stavely paused, Dennis Donahue interjected, "I imagine, Doctor, that since your opinions about Montayne have been proved correct, contributions to your organization have increased.”

"Indeed they have, Senator. And we hope, after these hearings which we welcome, they will become greater still.”