«I don`t like it,” said Bob the next morning, as he studied Julius`s back with a large

round magnifying glass. «Here, I want you to look at it; we can do it with two mirrors.»

Bob stationed him by the wall mirror and held a large hand mirror next to the mole.

Julius glanced at the dermatologist through the mirror: blond, ruddy faced, thick

spectacles resting on his long imposing nose—he remembered Bob telling him how the

other kids taunted him with cries of «cucumber nose.» He hadn`t changed much in ten

years. He looked harried, much as when he had been Julius`s patient, huffing and puffing,

arriving always a few minutes late. The Mad Hatter`s refrain, «Late, late for a very

important date,” often had come to mind when Bob rushed into his office. He had gained

weight but was as short as ever. He looked like a dermatologist. Whoever saw a tall

dermatologist? Then Julius glanced at his eyes—oh oh, they seemed apprehensive—the

pupils were large.

«Here`s the critter.» Julius looked through the mirror as Bob pointed with an

eraser–tipped stylus. «This flat nevus below your right shoulder under your scapula. See

it?»

Julius nodded.

Holding a small ruler to it, he continued, «It`s a shade less than one centimeter. I`m

sure you remember the ABCD rule of thumb from your med school dermatology—”

Julius interrupted, «I don`t remember squat from medical school dermatology.

Treat me like a dummy.»

«Okay. ABCD.A for asymmetry—look here.» He moved the stylus to parts of the

lesion. «It`s not perfectly round like all these others on your back—see this one and this

one.» He pointed to two nearby small moles.

Julius tried to break his tension by taking a deep breath.

«Bfor borders—now, look here, I know it`s hard to see.» Bob pointed again to the

subscapular lesion. «See in this upper area how sharp the border is, but all around here on