THE USE OF FORCE

W. CARLOS WILLIAMS*

They were new patients to me, all I had was the name, Olson.
Please come down as soon as you can, my daughter is very sick.
When I arrived I was met by the mother, a big startled looking
woman, very clean and apologetic who merely said, Is this the
doctor? and let me in. In the back1, she added. You must excuse us,
doctor, we have her in the kitchen where it is warm. It is very damp
here sometimes.
The child was fully dressed and sitting on her father’s lap near
the kitchen table. He tried to get up, but I motioned to him not to
bother, took off my overcoat and started to look things over. I could
see that they were all very nervous, eyeing me up and down
distrustfully. As often, in such cases, they weren’t telling more than
they had to, it was up to me to tell them; that’s why they were
spending three dollars on me.
The child was fairly eating me up with her cold, steady eyes,
and no expression to her face whatever .She didn’t move and
seemed, inwardly, quiet; an unusually attractive little thing, and as
strong as a heifer2 in appearance3. But her face was flushed, she was
breathing rapidly, and I realized that she had a high fever. She had
magnificent blonde hair, in profusion. One of those picture children
often reproduced in advertising leaflets and the photogravure
sections of the Sunday papers.
She’s had a fever for three days, began the father and we don’t
know what it comes from. My wife has given her things, you know,
like people do, but it don’t do no good4. And there’s been a lot of
sickness around. So we thought you’d better look her over and tell us
what is the matter.
As doctors often do I took a trial shot5 at it as a point of
departure. Has she had a sore throat?
Both parents answered me together, No... No, she says, her
throat doesn’t hurt her6.
Does your throat hurt you? added the mother to the child. But
the little girl’s expression didn’t change nor did she move her eyes
from my face.

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 Have you looked?
I tried to, said the mother, but I couldn’t see.
As it happens we had been having a number of cases of
diphtheria in the school to which this child went during that month
and we were all, quite apparently, thinking of that, though no one
had as yet spoken of the thing.
Well, I said, suppose we take a look at the throat first. I smiled
in my best professional7 manner and asking for the child’s first name
I said, come on, Mathilda, open your mouth and let’s take a look at
your throat.
Nothing doing8.
Aw9, come on, I coaxed, just open your mouth wide and let me
take a look. Look, I said opening both hands wide, I haven’t anything
in my hands. Just open up and let me see.
Such a nice man, put in the mother. Look how kind he is to
you. Come on, do what he tells you to. He won’t hurt you.
At that I ground my teeth in disgust. If only they wouldn’t use
the word “hurt” I might be able to get somewhere10. But I did not
allow myself to be hurried or disturbed by speaking quietly and
slowly I approached the child again.
As I moved my chair a little nearer suddenly with one catlike
movement both her hands clawed instinctively for my eyes and she
almost reached them too. In fact she knocked my glasses flying and
they fell, though unbroken, several feet away from me on the kitchen
floor.
Both the mother and father almost turned themselves inside out
in embarrassment and apology. You bad girl, said the mother, taking
her and shaking her by one arm. Look what you’ve done. The nice
man...
For heaven’s sake, I broke in. Don’t call me a nice man to her.
I’m here to look at her throat on the chance that she might have
diphtheria and possibly die of it. But that’s nothing to her. Look here,
I said to the child, we’re going to look at your throat. You’re old
enough to understand what I’m saying. Will you open it now by
yourself or shall we have to open it for you?
Not a move. Even her expression hadn’t changed. Her breaths
however were coming faster and faster. Then the battle began. I had
to do it. I had to have a throat culture for her own protection. But

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first I told the parents that it was entirely up to them. I explained the
danger but said that I would not insist on a throat examination so
long as they would take the responsibility.
If you don’t do what the doctor says you’ll have to go to
hospital, the mother admonished her severely.
On yeah?11 I had to smile to myself. After all, I had already
fallen in love with the savage brat12, the parents were contemptible to
me. In the ensuring struggle they grew more and more abject,
crushed, exhausted while she surely rose to magnificent heights of
insane fury of effort bred of her terror of me.
The father tried his best, and he was a big man but the fact that
she was his daughter, his shame at her behaviour and his dread of
hurting her made him release her just at the critical times when I had
almost achieved success, till I wanted to kill him. But his dread also
that she might have diphtheria made him tell me to go on, go on
though he himself was almost fainting, while the mother moved back
and forth behind us raising and lowering her hands in an agony of
apprehension.
Put her in front of you on your lap, I ordered, and hold both
her wrists.
But as soon as he did the child let out a scream. Don’t, you’re
hurting me. Let go of my hands. Let them go I tell you. Then she
shrieked terrifyingly, hysterically. Stop it! Stop it! You’re killing me!
Come on now, hold her, I said.
Then I grasped the child’s head with my left hand and tried to
get the wooden tongue depressor between her teeth. She fought, with
clenched teeth, desperately! But now I also had grown furious – at a
child. I tried to hold myself down but I couldn’t.
I know how to expose a throat for inspection. And I did my
best. When finally I got the wooden spatula behind the last teeth and
just the point of it into the mouth cavity, she opened up for an instant
but before I could see anything she came down again and gripping
the wooden blade between her morals she reduced it to splinters
before I could get it out again.
Aren’t you ashamed, the mother yelled at her. Aren’t you
ashamed to act like that in front of the doctor?
Get me a smooth-handled spoon of some sort, I told the
mother. We’re going through with this13. The child’s mouth was

65
already bleeding. Her tongue was cut and she was screaming in wild
hysterical shrieks. Perhaps I should have desisted and come back in
an hour or more. No doubt it would have been better. But I have seen
at least two children lying dead in bed of neglect in such cases, and
feeling that I must get a diagnosis now or never I went at it again.
The damned little brat must be protected against her own
idiocy, one says to one’s self at such times. Others must be protected
against her. It is a social necessity.
In a final assault I overpowered the child’s neck and jaws. I
forced the heavy silver spoon back of her teeth and down her throat
till she gagged. And there it was – both tonsils covered with
membrane. She had fought valiantly to keep me from knowing her
secret.

NOTES

*Williams, William Carlos (1883-1963), is one of the major modern

American poets. He was also a practicing physician in the town of
his birth, Rutherford, New Jersey. He began to write poetry while
studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and in
Germany, but full acclaim and honors did not come until the later
part of his life.

1. back: the back of the house with the windows usually facing the
back yard
2. heifer: a young cow
3. appearance: outward look. The suffix – ance (- ence) forms
abstract nouns of quality, action, etc., as in remembrance,
difference, etc.
4. but it don’t do no good (ungram.): but it (the medicine) didn’t
do her any good
5. took a trial shot (fig.):asked a question in an attempt to guess
what the girl was ill with.
6. her throat don’t hurt her (ungram.): her throat doesn’t hurt her
7. professional: characteristic of the profession of doctor. the
suffix – al forms adjectives with the meaning of “concerned
with”, “of the nature of”, as in practical, economical, classical,
cynical, etc.

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8. Nothing doing (colloq.): an expression used either to confess
failure, disappointment or to refuse a request
9. Aw (colloq.): an interjection exceedingly common in speech and
signifying disapproval, disappointment, disbelief, etc.
10. get somewhere: to obtain some result
11. Oh yeah? (colloq.) Oh yes? Used in a questioning (rising) tone it
suggests disagreement.
12. brat: a child, a term of contempt
13. We’re going through with this: We shall go on doing this until
the examination is completed.

EXERCISES

Ex 1. Answer the following questions

1. What message did the doctor receive? 2. What did he know of his
new patients? 3. Who was ill? 4. Why was the little girl kept in the
kitchen? 5. What was the child like? 6. Why did the parents prefer to
have the doctor make his own conclusions about the girl’s illness? 7.
What could the doctor see at a glance? 8. What was his first
question? 9. What made the doctor think of diphtheria? 10. Why was
it important for the doctor to examine the little girl’s throat? 11. How
did he try to make her open her mouth? 12. Why were the parents
such a poor help for the doctor? 13. How did the doctor finally
succeed in examining the girl’s throat? 14. What confirmed his worst
suspicions? 15. Why did the girl refuse to open her mouth and have
her throat examined?

Ex 2. Explain or paraphrase.

1. ... I was met by the mother, a big startled looking woman, very
clean and apologetic. 2. The child was fairly eating me up with her
cold, steady eyes. 3. As doctors often do I took a trial shot at it as a
point of departure. Has she had a sore throat? 4. ... with one catlike
movement both her hands clawed instinctively for my eyes and she
almost reached them too. 5. Both the mother and father almost turned
themselves inside out in embarrassment and apology. 6. I explained
the danger but said that I would not insist on a throat examination so

67
long as they would take the responsibility. 7. ... while she surely rose
to magnificent heights of insane fury of effort bred of her terror of
me. 8. But I have seen at least two children lying dead in bed of
neglect in such cases. 9. It is a social necessity.

Ex 3. Find in the text the English for.

Ý»ñë Ññ³íÇñ»É, Ýëï»É Ñáñ ÍÝÏÝ»ñÇÝ, Ñ³Ý»É í»ñ³ñÏáõÝ, ßáõñçÁ

ݳۻÉ, ³Ýíëï³ÑáõÃÛ³Ùµ ݳۻÉ, ã³ë»É ³í»ÉÇÝ ù³Ý Çñáù ³ÝÑñ³-
Å»ßï ¿, ѳ۳óùáí Ñáßáï»É, ³Ýëáíáñ ÑÙ³ÛÇã, Ѩ³É, ç»ñÙ»É,
ëϽµÝ³Ï»ï, µáñµáùí³Í ÏáÏáñ¹, ÑÇí³Ý¹ ÉÇÝ»É, ó³í å³ï׳é»É,
³ãù ãÏïñ»É, ¹Çýï»ñdzÛáí ÑÇí³Ý¹³Ý³Éáõ ¹»åù, ½ÝÝ»É ÏáÏáñ¹Á,
½½í³ÝùÇó Ïñ×ï³óÝ»É ³ï³ÙÝ»ñÁ, ѳëÝ»É ÇÝã-áñ µ³ÝÇ,
Ý»ñËáõÅ»É Ëáë³ÏóáõÃÛ³Ý Ù»ç, Ù³Ñ³Ý³É ¹Çýï»ñdzÛÇó, ÏáÏáñ¹Çó
ùëáõÏ í»ñóÝ»É, åݹ»É, å³ï³ë˳ݳïíáõÃÛáõÝÝ Çñ íñ³ í»ñóÝ»É,
³ÙµáÕç ç³Ýù»ñÁ ·áñͳ¹ñ»É, ³ÙáÃÇ ½·³óáõÙ, ó³í å³ï׳é»Éáõ
í³ËÁ, áõ߳ó÷í»É, ë»ÕÙ»É ³ï³ÙÝ»ñÁ, í»ñ³Í»É û÷áõÏÝ»ñÇ,
³ñݳÑáë»É, ·áÝ», ³Ëïáñáß»É:

Ex 4. Study the following phrases. Recall how they were used in

the text. Make sentences with each.

be up to smb.

e.g. 1. It’s something that concerns you personally. So it’s up to you

decide what to do. 2. Let her do whatever she likes. It’s up to her.

do smb. (some, little, no, much, etc.) good

e.g. 1. Have a cup of strong tea – it will do you good. 2. He had his
own way, and much good it did him!

a point of departure (discussion, interest, conscience, etc.)

e.g. 1. What had become of the letter? That was another point of
interest for me. 2. He‘s never late. It’s a point of honor with him.

take (have, give, throw, etc.) a look at smb., smth.

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e.g. 1. She threw me an amused look. 2. He took a look at the boy.
The little fellow was fast asleep.

let go of smth., smb.

e.g.1. The child let go of the toy balloon and up it went higher and
higher. 2. She’ll never let go of anything she might think belongs to
her, be it man or thing.

keep smb. from doing smth.

e.g.1. I tried my best to keep her from learning the truth, but in vain.
2. He kept me from doing my duty.

Ex 5. Recast the following using adjectives with –al instead of the

italicized words. Make other necessary changes.

1. The young man has a fine ear for music, and a fine understanding
of it too. 2. The situation was worthy of a comedy. 3. It’s a truth. It’s
something that really happened in history. 4. You mustn’t be such a
cynic at your age! 5. When it came to putting the scheme into
practice many difficulties arose. 6. She’s a great believer in
economy. 7. The new developments in technology marked a great
step forward.

Ex 6. Use nouns with – ance (- ence) for the italicized words.

Make other necessary changes.

1. She remembered what had happened but rather vaguely. 2. He was

reluctant to accept our help, and we clearly felt it. 3. He found that
the dates of the letter and the telegram coincided. It seemed strange
to him. 4. I don’t see that the new edition of the book is any different
from the old one.5. The matter was most important. There was no
denying it.

Ex 7. Join the sentences according to the model.

A. Model: The girl can take care of herself. She’s big enough.

69
 The girl’s big enough to take care of herself.

1. You can put the book in your pocket. It’s small enough. 2. The
wind could have knocked you over. It was strong enough. 3. You
mustn’t let the girl carry that heavy bag. She isn’t strong enough. 4.
They said he wouldn’t be able to do the job properly and gave it to
another man. They said he wasn’t experienced enough. 5. He can
give us all the details. He is willing enough. 6. The joke made us all
laugh till we were weak. It was funny enough. 7. She never believed
a word of his story. She wasn’t foolish enough. 8. You can read the
book. Even with your knowledge of the language it’s easy enough.

B. Model: I don’t know. I don’t care either.

I don’t know, nor do I care.

1. The little girl’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t move her
eyes from my face either. 2. She didn’t notice it. You didn’t notice it
either. 3. He said he didn’t care and wasn’t interested in the subject
any longer. 4. He didn’t come in the morning. as a matter of fact he
never showed up at all that day. 5. She didn’t speak to me. She didn’t
look at me either.

Ex 8. Rewrite the following using had better.

1. I think it would be advisable for you to apologize before it’s too

late. 2. You oughtn’t to sit up so late every night. It’s bad for the
health. 3. You must hurry if you want to get to the station in time to
catch the six o’clock train. 4. It would be a good thing to wait until
the rain stops. To get wet would be the last thing anybody wants. 5.
You mustn’t eat so much. You’re overweight as it is. 6. The doctor
said that it would be a good thing for me to take more exercise. 7.
What do you think I ought to do in a case like this?

Ex 9. Note the effect of through on the meaning of the verb.

Translate the sentences into Armenian. Give your own examples.

1. Have you looked through today’s papers? 2. He was looking

through his notes ticking off the points he would be mentioning in

70
his report. 3. He finally got through his exam, didn’t he? 4. I never
got through to him that day. Every time I picked up the phone the
line was busy. 5. She said she was through with him. She hated to
hear the sound of his name. 6. He wondered if he’d ever be able to
get through with the job. 7. She thumbed through the book on the
chance that she might find the letter she had hidden somewhere
between the pages. 8. His plans fell through. 9. It was a scheme as
yet to be put through. 10. He’s getting the best of medical care and
there’s no reason why he shouldn’t pull through.

Ex 10. Give the meaning of the italicized phrases. Use them in

sentences of your own.

1. I could see that they were all very nervous, eyeing me up and
down distrustfully. 2. You’ll get used to things by and by. 3. He has
been working here off and on for some time. 4. He walked to and fro
about the garden, evidently unable to make up his mind.

Ex 11. Say when a person will

Grind (grit, clench) his teeth; knit his brows; wring his hands; purse
his lips; clench his fists; shake his head; screw up his face (eyes);
shrug his shoulders.

Ex 12. Study the phrases with thing and head. Use them in
sentences of your own.

A. 1. The girl was an unusually attractive little thing. 2. That was a

nasty thing to say! 3. You’d better start packing your things at once.
4. Things seemed to be getting worse with every passing minute. 5. If
he wants to have things his own way, let him. 6. What with one thing
and another, she didn’t have a minute to spare. 7. A good rest will be
just the thing for you. 8. I’ll call him up first thing in the morning. 9.
I all but missed the train. It was a near thing. 10. Miniskirts were
quite the thing a few years ago, but now they have gone out of
fashion. 11. She said she didn’t feel quite the thing that morning and
would rather stay at home. 12. For one thing I am busy, for another
I’d like to keep out of it altogether.

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B. 1. Two heads are better than one. 2. You may count on him to
keep his head in a moment of danger. 3. It was all so sudden. No
wonder they lost their heads. 4. The young man will go far. He’s got
a good head on his shoulders. 5. I expected her to nod agreement,
but she shook her head. 6. We were unable to make head or tail of
the story. It was so confusing. 7. His success must have gone to his
head. He behaved very strangely, to say the least. 8. Who put that
funny idea into your head? 9. Just give her a chance, and she’ll talk
your head off.

Ex 13. Translate the following into English using to, the verb
being understood.

1. î³ñûñÇÝ³Ï ¿, áñ ݳ ã»Ï³í: ºë ·Çï»Ç, áñ ݳ ·³Éáõ ¿ñ: 2. ¸áõ

³ëáõÙ »ë, áñ ݳ ãÇ ·ñáõÙ: ´³Ûó áñù³Ý ·Çï»Ù, ݳ ã¿ñ ¿É
å³ïñ³ëïíáõÙ áñ¨¿ Ù»ÏÇÝ ·ñ»É: 3. Ø»Ýù ³é³ç³ñÏ»óÇÝù Ýñ³Ý
Ù³ëݳÏó»É Ù»ñ ¹³Ñáõϳñß³íÇÝ: ܳ ѳٳӳÛÝí»ó ·³É Ù»½ Ñ»ï:
4. ܳ ÝáõÛÝÇëÏ ßÝáñѳϳÉáõÃÛá±õÝ ãѳÛïÝ»ó: - ºë ³é³ÝÓݳå»ë
ã¿Ç ¿É ëå³ëáõÙ, áñ ݳ ¹³ ϳݻñ: 5. ÂáõÛÉ ïí»ù û·Ý»É Ò»½: ºë
ß³ï áõñ³Ë ÏÉÇݻ٠³Û¹ ³Ý»É, »Ã» ¸áõù ÃáõÛÉ ï³ù ÇÝÓ: 6. ܳ ¹»é
ã¿ñ ëï³ó»É Çñ ݳٳÏÇ å³ï³ë˳ÝÁ, µ³Ûó Ñáõëáí ¿, áñ Ïëï³Ý³
Ùáï ³å³·³ÛáõÙ: 7. γñ»ÉDZ ¿ »ë Ó»½ Ñ»ï ·³É ÏÇÝá: ºë ß³ï
Ïáõ½»Ý³ÛÇ ¹³ ³Ý»É: 8. ܳ ¹»Ù ã¿ñ Çñ»Ýó û·Ý»Éáõ: ܳ ÝáõÛÝÇëÏ
áõ½áõÙ ¿ñ ³Û¹ ³Ý»É: 9. ÎÝ»ñ»ù, »Ã» »ë Ò»½ íÇñ³íáñ»óÇ: ÆÙ Ùïùáí
¿É ã¿ñ ³ÝóÝáõÙ Ò»½ íÇñ³íáñ»É: 10. ܳ ³ë»É ¿, áñ Ï·³ ϳ۳ñ³Ýª
Ò»½ ׳ݳå³ñÑ»Éáõ: ö³ëïáñ»Ý ݳ Ëáëï³ó»É ¿ ·³É:

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