August 19th, 1973

WARD 402 by Ronald J. Glasser, M.D. (George Braziller). The scene is the children’s ward of a great hospital. The story, “Emergency in Ward 402,” is a moving and dramatic account of a young doctor’s involvement in the life of Mary Berquam, an enchanting eleven-year-old girl afflicted with leukemia. Mary is admitted to the hospital under curious circumstances – so sick that her father is forced to explain the astonishing reason why he has not acted sooner. Dr. Glasser’s re-education as a young physician involves this confrontation with difficult parents while he tries to salvage his human concerns amidst scientific routine. Brilliantly narrated, this story packs a wallop unlike any other “doctor’s story” recently published.

Ward 402

A Must Read!

“This book will wrench your heart, precisely because it has a heart of its own. It’s not just another doctor book; it is the story of a children’s ward in a big hospital, filled with people, filled with doctors and nurses all working to keep these people alive, all avoiding like the plague any mention of death…. The account is shocking enough, but the ending is the real shocker. Glasser writes with passion and with an uncommon skill at choosing exactly the right words. WARD 402 is a triumphant exposition of the human will.” – Newsday
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