Sarah Lamson Marital status widow Age (in the book) 74yrs Sight 60% Hearing 75% Touch 70% Taste 85% Smell 50% Movement 85% CQ Count 10 Pathology: contractures, incipient hallux valgus, osteo arthritis, suspected late paraphilia, among others. Charlie Edwards Marital status separated Age (in the book) 78yrs Sight 50% Hearing 80% Touch 80% Taste 95% Smell 30% Movement 85% CQ Count 10 Pathology: contractors, bronchitis, incipient leather bottle stomach, hypertension among others Ivy Nicholls Marital status widow Age (in the book) 79yrs Sight 65% Hearing 55% Touch 65% Taste 80% Smell 70% Movement 75% CQ Count 10 Pathology: contractions asthma, osteoporosis, mainly of limbs, inguinal hernia, bronchitis, osteoarthritis, among others. Ron Lamson Marital status widower Age (in the book) 81yrs Sight 30% Hearing 45% Touch 55% Taste 40% Smell 40% Movement 45% CQ count 8 Pathology: contractures, dehydration, incipient hypochromic anaemia, incontinent inguinal hernia, inoperable rectal carcinoma among others Gloria Ridge Marital status not know Age (in the book) 85yrs Sight 45% Hearing 55% Touch 30% Taste 20% Smell 60% Movement 45% CQ count 6 Pathology: contractures, plantar fasciitis, mental confusion, progressive senile dementia color cystitis, osteoporosis among others. Sioned Bowen Marital status widow Age (in the book) 89yrs Sight 50% Hearing 40% Touch 35% Taste 55% Smell 45% Movement 20% CQ count 8 Pathology: contractions, diabetes mellitus, colonic diverticulitis, benign renal carcinoma, lesion of alimentary tract, paraplegia, among others. George Hedbury Marital status bachelor Age (in the book) 89yrs Sight 10% Hearing 15% Touch 25% Taste 20% Smell 10% Movement 15% CQ count 2 Pathology: contractures, incontinent, advanced inanition, chronic rheumatoid arthritis, Paget's disease, advanced senile depression, muscle atrophy, fibrositis, intermittent renal failure, among others.
Rosetta Stanton Marital status not known Age (in the book) 94yrs Sight 5% Hearing 10% Touch 5% Taste 15% Smell 20% Movement 5% CQ count zero Pathology: Everything everyone else has, plus incipient bronchial pneumonia, atherosclerosis dementia, probably ament, hemiplegia with negative Babinski response, to name only a very few. The House Mother Marital status divorcee Age (in the book) 42yrs Sight 85% Hearing 90% Touch 100% Taste 40% Smell 95% Movement 100% CQ Count 10 Pathology: mild clap, incipient influenza, dandruff, malignant cerebral carcinoma, dormant. Background information on the author
B.S. Johnson, born in 1933, was a working-class Londoner, his father being a book-seller and stock-keeper and his mother a barmaid. His childhood was interrupted by his being evacuated twice during WWII, which must have had an impact on him, as much as his failure to pass the 11-plus had. He attended Barnes County Secondary Modern School and then to Kingston Commercial School, where he learned to type and perform basic shorthand and bookkeeping. He began work as an accountancy clerk before deciding to study Latin at evening class, then winning a place at King's College, London, to read English.