The Journal of a Disappointed Man

Finis November 27. To-day, armed with a certificate from my Doctor in a sealed envelope and addressed "to the Medical Officer examining Mr. W.N.P. Barbellion," I got leave to attend the recruiting office and offer my services to my King and Country. At the time, the fact that the envelope was sealed caused no suspicion and I had been comfortably carrying the document about in my pocket for days past. Of course I attended merely as a matter of form under pressure of the authorities, as I knew I was totally unfit--but not quite how unfit. After receiving this precious certificate, I learnt that K---- was recruiting Doctor at W----, and he offered to "put me thro' in five minutes," as he knows the state of my health. So at a time agreed upon, I went to-day and was immediately rejected as soon as he had stethoscoped my heart. The certificate therefore was not needed, and coming home in the train I opened it out of curiosity.... I was quite casual and thought it would be merely interesting to see what M---- said. It was. "Some 18 months ago," it ran, "Mr. Barbellion shewed the just visible symptoms of ---- ----" and altho' this fact was at once communicated to my relatives it was withheld from me and M---- therefore asked the M.O. to respect this confidence and to reject me without stating on what grounds. He went on to refer to my patellar and plantar reflexes, by which time I had had enough, tore the paper up and flung it out of the railway carriage window.