Medicine: Mother to Son

Twenty-odd years ago in Sweden a baby was born with no ears. In every other way he was normal. When the boy was old enough to go to school, he rather enjoyed being a phenomenon, joked about it with his mates. In adolescence he became much more sensitive. He could hear perfectly—but instead of outer ears he had two repulsive stumps.

Girls avoided the young man. He fell desperately in love with one of them, but was afraid to approach her. Naturally, no attractive young woman was going to tie herself for life to an earless young man. He fell to brooding. His devoted mother began to worry about him. She went to Dr. Allan Ragnell, distinguished Stockholm plastic surgeon, and asked him if he could remove her own ears, transplant them to the head of her son.

Dr. Ragnell said he thought he could. Knowing that her boy would never knowingly accept such a sacrifice, the mother arranged to have him told that his new ears were taken from the victim of an automobile accident. She knew she could conceal the stumps of her ears by covering them with her hair.

The operation was performed and it succeeded. His mother withheld the truth for a while, but finally told her son. At first he was horrified, but she calmed him by pointing out that her disfigurement was securely hidden.

Last week the young man and his sweetheart accepted congratulations from their friends: they were engaged to be married. Everyone remarked on what a fine couple they made, though some thought that, for a man, the fiance’s ears were a trifle small and delicate.