Hospital Patients Must Register a Next of Kin

Hospital Patients Must Register a Next of Kin is an admission procedure that becomes a point of access in Sigurd Altman’s effort to get close to Harry Hole. When Olav Hole identifies Harry as his next of kin, the routine requirement supplies Altman with the connection he needs to approach the detective and seek information about the investigation.

The Hospital Requirement

The rule requires every patient admitted to hospital to name a next of kin. In this instance, Olav Hole names his son, Harry Hole. The procedure establishes a formal family contact for a patient; its significance in the story comes from the fact that this information is available within the hospital, where Altman is working on an anesthesia project.

How Altman Uses the Information

Altman hears a nurse mention that Harry Hole’s father is on the ward and that Harry is the famous police officer who caught the Snowman. He concludes that Harry is likely to be assigned to the case. Rather than approaching him directly about the investigation, Altman persuades the relevant ward doctor to include Olav Hole in his anesthesia project, claiming that Olav is suitable for the test group. The next-of-kin listing does not itself grant Altman access to Harry; it alerts him to the relationship and helps him create a plausible reason to enter the family’s orbit.

Narrative Function

The rule’s ordinary administrative purpose contrasts with the use Altman makes of the information it brings into view. A patient’s designated family contact becomes, through overheard hospital talk and deliberate maneuvering, a lead to the investigator. Altman’s plan depends on patience and concealment: he hopes that contact through Olav will let him learn the state of the investigation without arousing Harry’s suspicion. The policy therefore serves as a mundane but consequential link between hospital administration and the murder inquiry.