Document text
Forms to be Filled out for Each interview
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
KAML OF WORKER Clarence Weinstock
ADDRESS 43 Morton Street
DLTE Juno 27, 1939
SUBJECT Interview with Nurse
1. Date and -Lone of interview
2. Place of interview
Hospital Workers Union
3. Name and address of informant
4. Name and address of person, if any, who u in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address pecsoli, if any, acooranyin. you
Joseph Vogel
C. Decription o r.)er, house s,rrcundin
FOLKLORE
NEW- YORK
(Ube as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms,
each bearing the oroper heading and the number to which the material
refers.)
FORM C
TEXT OF INTERVIEW (UNEDITED)
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Clarence Weinstock
ADDRESS 43 Morton Street
DATE June 27, 1939
SUBJECT Interview with Nurse
FOR AFTER
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
I had a private case once, a Scotchman who was dying of cancer.
Every day his wife would come to visit him at the hospital with a new
piece of mourning apparel, one day black gloves, another day a black
hat, or a veil and so forth. There she would stand smiling at him and
preening and turning harself around in front of the mirror, and ask
him, "Look here, John, and how does this look for after?"
And John mould lie in bed and toss up and down and say quietly
and bitterly, "You might at least wait until I was dead before spending
all that money on funeral things."
"But ain't it becoming now, John?" And she'd pat her hair and
keep smiling at him.
This went on for a month and then they told him they could do nothing
for him at the hospital and that he might as well be at home where it would
cost him less to die, because he was complaining about the expense all the
time. So I nursed him at home. The same thing went on there. Every day
'the came in with some other damned black thing or other and asked him, "And
how does this look for after?" So one night he got out of bed and went
into his garage, took the car out and drove dawn the pm road until he
saw a brick wall and then he drove the car straight into the wall.
-2
IN THE MAILBAG
Dear Sir of Madam,
There was a nurse calling on my husband last week doing what she
could for him and she left a thermometer needle which I gave her 50/.
Now my husband died last Friday evening. The needle is no use
to me but the 50/ is. So would you please have some call and get this.
Thank you.
SANTA CLAUS
ahen I first began nursing I didn't know much about Jewish people,
particularly the orthodox ones. There was an old Jewish man on my ward
suffering from carbuncles, which are very serious when you aren't so young.
00 He had a long beautiful white beard. So I went over to his bed thinking
I would make him feel a little better. "Oh, Mk. Cohen," I said, "you look
so beautiful with your beautiful white beard. Just like Santa Claus."
"Santa Claus? Phehl"
And he spit right on the floor in front of me. Then he went up to
be operated. A few hours afterward he had
chair and he was swaying back and forth in
Cohen," I said, "please go back into bed.
up like that." He just kept on rockirgand
under his breath, "Go away, shiksa, an old
He was a stubbon man all right.
already got himself a rocking
front of an open window. "Mr.
Its very bad for you to sit
without looking at me he said
Jew can take care of himself."