The Healthy Barmaid
23 Aug 2007
What has London’s Heathrow airport, an English pub and an elderly barmaid to do with this column. In one word, “plenty”. A chance remark triggered “The Healthy Barmaid”. And I hope this book will improve the lifestyle of readers and save them from diseases that should never happen.
I was en route to a medical convention in Singapore and debating how to pass the time during a six hour stopover in London between flights.
That’s when I remembered I hadn’t seen the house where I was born since I was seven years of age. So I asked a London cabby to take me to Croydon, about 20 miles outside of London.
After driving through London traffic for about an hour we arrived at Helder street. I enjoyed a few moments of nostalgia in front of my birthplace, then noticed a quaint pub at the end of the street. So I asked my driver if he’s like to have a “pint” and fish-and-chips before returning to London. “Bloody good idea Mate”, he replied.
A few moments later I was standing a the bar talking with an elderly barmaid who had just served us. I mentioned that I had been born on Helder Street.
“What number, lovey?” she asked. “14 Helder street” I replied. “My God”, she excitedly exclaimed. “Then you must be Annie’s son. I used to baby sit you 60 years ago.
That set me back on my haunches! I took a second look at this ancient, but lively barmaid. She said she was 85 years of age, had worked at the pub for years, enjoyed its great camaraderie and had no intention of retiring. Talking with her provided one of the most interesting lunches I’ve ever had.
During the flight to Singapore I kept thinking about this slim, vibrant woman. The idea of “The Healthy Barmaid” was born.
The story is set in a fictitious London pub, “The Red Lion”. By a stroke of luck my children and I wander into it during a holiday in London. We return every night to talk with Ida, the barmaid, along with famous doctors who drop by.
But how could a barmaid know anything about medicine? I made the Red Lion a unique pub situated along the Thames River surrounded by London’s teaching hospitals.
For 40 years it’s been the haunt of the medical establishment. Distinguished professors who drop by for a pint and talk with Ida about vital medical issues. This triggered a keen interest in medical matters and Ida has become a wise old owl. And because of these encounters she learned how to live to a healthy 85.
“The Healthy Barmaid” covers a variety of medical topics; the role of cholesterol in cardiovascular disease, whether vitamins play an important function in fighting degenerative problems, how important is hormone replacement therapy for both male and females, sporting injuries and many other key issues.
The book also describes the pitfalls that people of all ages fall into, cutting short their allotted time on this planet.
For year I’ve been distressed by what is happening to many young people, their careless descent into questionable lifestyle habits that all too often lead to a medical hell later in life.
I believe the narrative style of the conversations in the Red Lion, its humour and common sense might grab the attention of the young and reckless and set them on a different course.
Of course it’s impossible to set the scene in a pub without talking about alcohol. So a debate ensues about whether it ‘s a friend or foe. And why learned researchers often confuse the public when they mix ethics with facts.
Lastly the book incorporates my own philosophy of life and health. And although the cast of some distinguished English professors is fictitious the facts they discuss are real and true.
Why the name Ida? It’s the name of my secretary and friend of many years who died a few years ago. She was no ordinary secretary and those who read this book will also discover that Ida the barmaid is no ordinary barmaid.
All this from the casual remark made to a stranger, “You know I was born on this street”.
