Professionally speaking, Foster Ward was perfect. There it was, a model of neatness, beds and lockers beautifully tidy; there was the famous surgeon arriving to make his round, attended by his house surgeons of varying status and by eager but nervous students; there were the nurses, dutiful and efficient, ready to answer any questions he might ask. But beneath the decorous surface there surged many a strong emotion; love and ambition, professional and personal jealousy, fear and hope one way or another, the world of a big hospital can provide them all.