THE STAFF physician of New York Hospital who examined Premier Mohammed Mossadegh of Iran has reported that he is in a “good state of health.”

His Excellency went to bed early, slept well, woke refreshed. He is able to be up and about, to interview reporters and Government officials, and to take on His Britannic Majesty’s Government singly or in large groups.

The American doctor, in short, is just as mystified as to the nature of the premier’s malady as was the Persian physician who examined him after one of his famous fainting spells before the Iranian parliament.

One can sympathize with any medical man who has to reconcile Mr. Mossadegh’s alleged physical frailty with his political activities. A partial checklist might go something like this:

Brain. Cunning enough anyhow to outsmart our British friends on several occasions.

Eyes. Sharp enough to spot an opportunity in the East-West struggle.

Ears. Keen enough to detect the weakness in a threat.

Lungs. Strong enough for months of screaming exhortations to the Iranian parliament and other mobs.

Joints. Well-oiled enough to get from a bed in Teheran to one in New York.

Stomach. Steady enough to risk economic disaster, armed intervention, and Communist seizure to win his point.

Gall. Enough to be divided into three parts and still leave plenty for the patient.

This isn’t to imply that we doubt that there’s anything wrong with old Mr. Mossadegh except an incurable itch for oil property, nor are we hinting that the Iranian leader is faking about the state of his health to excite public sympathy.

If nothing else is wrong with Mr. Mossadegh, it’s obvious that no one could weep so often and so copiously as he does without being fearfully dehydrated.