Getting with the program

I've noticed that some people don't necessarily visit here every day, and they've come in to the middle of a long story. So, if you're interested in this -- and I hope you are, I think there's a lot to be learned from it -- you need to go back and start with the post entitled "A long time ago . . ."

Because, for one thing, it was a long time ago. I'm obviously here to tell the tale, so don't worry! Please don't waste any tears on the protagonist, the point of this is not self revelation, it's observation. What are hospitals like for patients? How do the roles of the various people who work there, the organization of work, the culture of the institution, affect the raw material of the industry, those people lying in the beds? That's what I'm after.