En cas d’urgence

Christophe Otzenberger settled into the Casualty Admissions service at the intercommunal hospital in Poissy. He didn’t see Clooney, but he did see a great many other things that were much more intense, funny, serious and terribly sad. Casualty Admissions, these two words cover two different realities. The Admissions service is open to those who are almost at the end of their tether, even though they have no medical symptoms. They come to talk, express their distress, give vent to their madness, fatigue, depression or the ill-effects of a heavy drinking bout. These are society’s casualties. At Poissy, as in most non-specialised services, the casualties cover the entire medical spectrum: a serious horse-riding fall, a tiny cut at school but ‘better safe than sorry’, a man beaten up by his wife, victims of car accidents. As well as those near the end of their life, whom the dedicated staff will nonetheless accompany.