The experts were discussing on RTÉ who, in their opinion, was the best singer and what the quality was that made them the best. Most of the experts agreed that it was ‘authenticity’ that mattered most. They said, you really need to feel that the music is at one with the person who performs it. But then, there was this one critic who said that this was absolutely and completely wrong: one of the best singers, musicians, and performers of the world, David Bowie, was at his very best when he was not himself at all, but slipped into the persona of Major Tom, völlig losgelöst von der Erde.

Today, I decided to learn about Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, where Pádraig spent almost four months up to 11 November. The information I found differs slightly. The ‘About’ page on Beaumont’s own website (www.beaumont.ie) says it employs approximately 3,000 staff and has 820 beds. The HSE’s site (http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/5/nccp/about/Beaumont_Hospital.html) says it employs approximately 3,500 staff, catering for a local community of 250,000 (HSE) versus 290,000 (Beaumont), in addition for it being the “designated Centre of Excellence in Cancer Services and … the Regional Treatment Centre for Ear, Nose and Throat, and Gastroenterology. (It also is) the National Referral Centre for Neurosurgery and Neurology, Renal Transplantation and Cochlear Implantation.” Compare this with the Schön-Klinik in Hamburg: they employ 1,500 staff, covering 700 beds. In terms of patient/bed to staff ratio, Beaumont employs almost twice the number of people than the Schön-Klinik.

It is hard to understand how this is possible – because one of the first things you’d notice about the ward where Pádraig is, is the (generally) much more relaxed way staff works and deals with their patients. The clinic has a long history, and Alfons Maria Jacob described here for the first time in 1920 the Creutzfeldt-Jacob decease. Beaumont is much younger. Again according to Wikipedia, it was planned and commissioned from 1978 to 1984 and represented an investment of IR£50 million. It opened on November 29, 1987 following the closure of two smaller and older Dublin hospitals: The Charitable Infirmary, better known as Jervis Street Hospital and St. Lawrence’s Hospital (known as The Richmond).^[2

Pádraig sat out in his ‘chair’ for many hours today. You can see how that makes him tired. His heart rate goes up, as does the frequency of his breathing. They had washed his hair again today, not sure how they are doing it, but they do it! Again, he has been reacting to our voices and touches. Overall, sitting up is really good for him: it keeps the blood pressure going, helps him clearing his lungs, etc. Today, two of his Irish friends had to go back home today. They were great company for Pádraig, and it was brilliant that they could make it. They were the first of quite a respectable number of his friends coming over for a visit, making sure that the connections are kept strong and kicking.

David Bowie’s and Peter Schilling’s Major Toms both decided to go floating into the outer space. They were the creation of a time when everything was possible – even space exploration.

“Here am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there’s nothing I can do.”

Major Tom was happy: life was amazing and full of wonders. Bowie showed us that there is a bit of Major Tom in all of us.

Today’s German Music Tip
Peter Schilling, Major Tom (1983) (This is a recording from the German version of Top of the Pops, called Hitparade. Watch the head move, and just one blink from Peter during the whole song!)
What’s hot
No driving tonight.
What’s cold
Tonight’s news about the CRC top ups.
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Völlig losgelöst von der Erde