Not the time of feelings, not the time of memory, but the time of appointments: now this room, now that one, now wait, now move on. And Hans Castorp, who had once learned that time runs differently up there, now learned something new: time does not run differently today, it is managed differently.<\/p>\n
In the end they led him into a room that looked less like equipment and more like conversation.<\/p>\n
A desk. A chair. Two chairs. A screen. A window through which one saw snow, as if winter were the calming background image of the examination.<\/p>\n
And there stood Dr. med. Wendelin Porsche.<\/p>\n
In reality, he was less \u201ccover\u201d than in the brochure \u2013 and yet you recognized him immediately: the glasses, the open eyes, the orange tie that was at once festivity and warning color. He looked at Hans Castorp, and his gaze was warm, almost fatherly; but beneath this warmth lay something that was not quite whole: an urge, an impatience, as if he wanted to make people faster than they are.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Castorp,\u201d said Dr. Porsche, and his voice had that medical friendliness that at once calms and takes possession. \u201cWelcome to the new year. Please sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hans Castorp sat down.<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche did not sit down immediately. He remained standing for a moment, looked at the screen, at the printouts, at the curves, and Hans Castorp had the impression that this man is not only a doctor but also a conductor: he loves the order of numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d said Dr. Porsche, and now he really smiled, as if he wanted to give something beautiful. \u201cEverything perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is, esteemed female reader, esteemed male reader, a wonderful sentence. It turns a person into a success. And at the same time it is the most dangerous introduction, because it makes deviation possible in the first place.<\/p>\n
Hans Castorp felt how he was relieved for a moment \u2013 and at the same moment ashamed of this relief. For what is relief other than the joy of not falling?<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche raised his index finger as if he wanted to make a small, elegant qualification.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hans Castorp\u2019s heart made a small, disorderly beat, as if it had been waiting for this word.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026blood pressure,\u201d said Dr. Porsche, and now his voice became more matter-of-fact, almost loving in its precision. \u201cDiastole just over eighty. That is \u2026\u201d He let the pause take effect, as if the word were a label that one carefully sticks on. \u201c\u2026normal high.\u201d<\/p>\n
Normal high.<\/p>\n
A pair of words like a hotel dome: transparent, comfortable, and yet a boundary.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormal high,\u201d repeated Hans Castorp.<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not an illness,\u201d he said quickly, as if he had to reassure. \u201cBut it is \u2026\u201d He searched for a term, and here the crack showed: he did not find the old term of danger, but the new term of task. \u201c\u2026an optimization zone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Optimization zone.<\/p>\n
Hans Castorp thought: I too am an optimization zone. I am not dead, I am not free. I am in between.<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche clicked on the screen, and now a number appeared that Hans Castorp did not immediately understand, because it did not look like blood pressure but like speed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also measured your arterial stiffness,\u201d said Dr. Porsche. \u201cBaPWV. Right ten point three meters per second, left eleven point four.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pronounced the values as if they were weather data. Hans Castorp heard \u201cmeters per second\u201d and involuntarily thought again of the name Porsche: speed everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is,\u201d said Dr. Porsche, and now there was a hint of satisfaction in his voice, as if he had discovered something that justified him, \u201cslightly elevated. Not dramatic. But interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Interesting.<\/p>\n
One does not want to be interesting when it comes to vessels.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d asked Hans Castorp.<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche leaned back, and his fatherly warmth returned, as if he wanted to tell a story.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour vessels,\u201d he said, \u201care a bit \u2026 correct.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hans Castorp raised his eyebrows.<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche smiled briefly. It was a small, human smile, and in it lay the crack: he knew that he had just become metaphorical.<\/p>\n
\u201cForgive me,\u201d he said. \u201cI sometimes speak like a writer when I am tired. I mean: the elasticity is no longer as it would be at twenty. That is normal. But we see it early. And if we see it early, we can \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026optimize,\u201d said Hans Castorp.<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche nodded, and now there was, very briefly, something fanatical.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said. \u201cOptimize. Not in the sense of perfection, but in the sense of care. Rituals of personal hygiene.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rituals.<\/p>\n
Hans Castorp thought of bloodletting. Of brochures. Of the chapel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich rituals?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche raised his hand as if counting commandments.<\/p>\n
\u201cHypertrophy,\u201d he said. \u201cNutrition. Stress reduction. Sleep. Activity \u2013 mental and physical.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hypertrophy.<\/p>\n
The word sounded as if a muscle had been baptized in Latin. Hans Castorp looked at Dr. Porsche.<\/p>\n
\u201cHypertrophy,\u201d he repeated slowly, \u201cis therefore the new virtue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche laughed briefly. It was a warm laugh, but beneath it lay something that did not laugh: the fear of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you like,\u201d he said. \u201cMuscles are a kind of interest. They pay you back later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hans Castorp thought: interest. Again an account.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd why are you telling me this?\u201d he asked. \u201cI am \u2026 perfect, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche looked at him, and now his voice became quieter, almost confidential.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause perfection,\u201d he said, \u201cat your age is an achievement. And every achievement must be maintained.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a sentence that sounded fatherly \u2013 and at the same time like a threat. Hans Castorp felt the words of Gustav von A. rise into his head: <\/p>\n
If the body does not function, one cannot achieve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you recommend?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Dr. Porsche reached into a drawer and pulled out two small tins.<\/p>\n