Triumph of Surgery

THE TRIUMPH OF SURGERY

Read and Find Out     (Page 1)
Question 1.
Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey is worried about Tricki because he is unwell. He has refused to eat food and had bouts of vomiting. She feels that he is suffering from a serious health issue.

Question 2.
What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey starts giving him extra snacks like malt, cod-liver oil and Horlicks, apart from his main meals, to improve his condition. She also continues to satisfy his sweet tooth with cream cakes and chocolates. She does not give him any exercise, considering his listlessness as well. She is not wise in doing so because overfeeding Tricki is worsening his conditions instead of improving it. It has made him very fat and lazy.

Question 3.
Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer:
‘I’ refers to the narrator, Mr James Herriot, a veterinary doctor.

Question 4.
Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?
Answer:
No, the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphery. We can say so because the narrator seems fascinated by how lavishly Mrs Pumphrey spends on the well-being and maintenance of her pet. He is unusually surprised by the enriching items she sends for Tricki, as he cannot afford them for himself.

Question 5.
How does he treat the dog?
Answer:
James Herriot treats Tricki just like he would treat an overweight and lazy dog. He cuts down his food intake and keeps him under strict observation for the initial days at hospital. He gradually increases Tricki’s food and sets him free for physical activities to improve his health.

Question 6.
Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?
Answer:
Mr Herriot is tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest because of the good food and wine he is enjoying in Tricki’s name. He does not want to lose the luxurious inflow of fresh eggs, wine and brandy.

Question 7.
Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is ‘a triumph of surgery’?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey thinks that Tricki’s recovery is a triumph of surgery because his illness was very serious. She was of the opinion that there were very few chances of Tricki to improve and he needed immediate medical attention. Thus, his revival was a great achievement, according to her.

Think About It             (Page 6)
Question 1.
What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense?
Answer:
The narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is a capable and wise doctor. He handles Tricki properly which shows that he is sincere about his profession.
He does not operate upon the dog unnecessarily and cures him by altering his diet and activities.
He is a tactful person as he knew exactly how to convince Mrs Pumphrey to hospitalise Tricki for a surgery. His decision to inform Mrs Pumphrey to collect Tricki supports his sensibilities even though he was tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest

Question 2.
Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?
Answer:
Tricki was happy to go back home as he really loved his mistress and the comfort of his lavish life. He didn’t have any friends at home like in the hospital, but he seemed equally excited at the sight of Mrs Pumphrey. Mrs Pumphrey may continue to overindulge and overfeed the dog which might land him in similar situation again.

Question 3.
Do you think it is a real-life episode or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?
Answer:
The story seems to be a mixture of both. It may be possible for rich persons to overfeed their pets due to love. It is not unusual for them to maintain a vast wardrobe for them either. But it is unlikely for a veterinary doctor to go out of the way and lie in order to save an animal. It is also unusual for anyone to consume food which is given in the name of a pet’s health.

Question 3.
What would you have done if you were :

1.      a member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s household,

2.       a neighbour? What would your life have been like, in general?

Answer:

1.       If I were a member of the staff in her household I would have not followed Mrs Pumphrey’s command to feed Tricki blindly. In fact, I would have fed him according to the vet’s advice. I would have also skipped sending the unnecessary stuff like toys, cushions etc to the hospital. My life would have been a very busy one, as I would have had to take care of the household chores and meet Tricki’s demands on time.

2.       If I were Mrs Pumphrey’s neighbour, I would have advised her to consult a vet and follow his advice strictly keeping in mind Tricki’s deteriorating health. I would have also been supportive in their hard time when Tricki was hospitalised. My life as Mrs Pumphrey’s neighbour would have been full of surprises and gifts as Mrs Pumphrey was a loving lady.

Question 4.
What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?
Answer:
If I were in the narrator’s place, I would have treated Tricki with a similar amount of compassion and love. I would have been equally caring as Mr James Herriot towards Tricki. I would have just been a little more stern while advising Mrs Pumphrey to put Tricki on a strict diet knowing her way of showing love. I would have also not consumed Tricki’s share of eggs, wine and brandy sent by Mrs Pumphrey.

Extra Questions How did lunch become ‘a ceremonial occasion’ for Mr Herriot and his partners?

ANS:     Mrs Pumphrey sent fresh eggs, two dozen at a time to build up Tricki’s strength. Mr Herriot and his partners began to take two eggs each in breakfast. They enjoyed it a lot. Then bottles of wine began to arrive to enrich Tricki’s blood. This way it became a ceremonial occasion for them, to have two glasses of wine before and during the meal.

‘You must harden your heart and help him on a strict diet.’ Why does Mr Herriot suggest this to Mrs Pumphrey?

ANS:     Mrs Pumphrey is very loving and caring mistress for Tricki. Her love and care do more harm than good to Tricki. She pampered him by giving him a luxurious life. She overfed him. The result was that Tricki became fat and lethargic. Overpampering and overfeeding were leading into disaster by spoiling his health. Cutting down his meals was much required to improve his health. Therefore, Mr Herriot suggests Mrs Pumphrey so.

Why was Mr Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?

ANS:     Mr Herriot was shocked at Tricki’s appearance as he had become very obese. His eyes were red and watery and his tongue was lolling. All these symptoms made Mr Herriot feel that he was not feeling well.

(i) What was Mrs Pumphrey’s reaction when Tricki showed little enthusiasm for exertion? (ii) What did Mrs Pumphrey do to bring Tricki back to normal health? Was she wise?

ANS:     (i) Mrs Pumphrey loved Tricki very much, naturally she was anxious after noticing that he was no more an active and energetic dog. She felt that he should be given more nutrients through his food. (ii) She gave him malt and cod liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks to make him energetic. She gave him an extra diet of cream cakes and chocolates to make him feel better as he loved to eat all this. She was not giving him exercises as he was very weak and the gardener was not feeling well to take him for a long walk. She was not being wise in spoiling her greedy dog.

How was Tricki greeted at the surgery by other dogs in the beginning?

ANS:     When the household dogs at the surgery came closer to Tricki and sniffed round him for a few seconds, they found him an uninteresting object. They got bored and left him alone thinking that he could not move. After a few days of strict diet, he recovered and enjoyed playing with them, being bowled over, tramped on and squashed every few minutes. Thus, he became an accepted member of the game.

Describe the ‘parting scene’ between Tricki and Mrs Pumphrey’s entire household staff.

ANS:     Mrs Pumphrey treated Tricki like a young pampered child, naturally it was not easy for her to part with him. She made all the possible arrangements to see that Tricki had all the comforts in the hospital. All his belongings like day bed, night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl were sent with him. She cried pitiably at his departure and threw an armful of the little coats through window. Everyone bid him a tearful farewell.

How do you know that Tricki had an affluent life?

ANS:     Tricki was a pampered pet of an affluent mistress. He had a wardrobe of tweed coats with separate coats for the cold and rainy weather. He had separate beds for day and night with lovely cushions, toys, rubber rings, breakfast bowl, supper bowl and lunch bowl. All these luxury items show that he had an affluent living.

Why did Mrs Pumphrey make a frantic call to Mr Herriot? What immediate step did he take to save Tricki?

ANS:     Mrs Pumphrey made a frantic call to Mr Herriot because her loving pet dog had stopped eating anything. He even refused to eat his favourite dishes and sweets. He became inactive and lay motionless all the time. He began panting and had bouts of vomiting. He took no interest in anything. Mr Herriot hospitalisedTricki for a fortnight and kept him on strict diet. By giving him a lot of water he was able to make Tricki active and energetic once again. Thus, he was able to save him from any kind of surgery or medicinal treatment.

“I think I know a cure for you.” What was the cure?

ANS:     The overeating and lack of exercise had made Tricki a very fat dog. The only cure for Tricki was to keep him on a very strict diet, that could never be done by Mrs Pumphrey. Therefore, he was to be removed from Mrs Pumphrey’s house.

Why was it tempting to keep Tricki in surgery as a permanent guest?

ANS:     As soon as Mrs Pumphrey came to know that Tricki was recovering rapidly, she started sending fresh eggs and brandy bottles to build up Tricki’sstrength. The doctor and his friends were enjoying those eggs and brandy. Therefore, he felt the temptation to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.

Why did Mrs Pumphrey keep Tricki on that extra diet? Did it help him?

ANS:     MrsPumphrey kept Tricki on extra diet because she felt he was suffering from malnutrition and needed malt, cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks. No, it didn’t help him. On the other hand, he had put on a lot of weight which made him lethargic.

Why was Mrs Pumphrey not able to control Tricki’s diet?

ANS:     She was not able to control his diet because according to her, he was very weak. Secondly, he loved ice cream and chocolate. Being a very loving mistress, she could not refuse him all this.

Why did Mr Herriot expect a call from Mrs Pumphrey?

ANS:     On seeing the condition of Tricki, Mr Herriot was able to understand that he would be in trouble soon due to overeating and extra care in the form of his dresses and also because he was not doing any exercise. From his experience he could guess that Tricki would fall ill and he would get a call from Mrs Pumphrey.

How was Tricki treated in the first two days of his visit to the surgery?

ANS:     He was given a cozy bed in a warm loose box. He was kept under strict observation for first two days and given a plenty of water but no food was given to him. The cut down on his diet helped him improve a lot.

What made Tricki get well so soon?

ANS:     Tricki was not suffering from any disease indeed. His main ailment was his greed for overeating. When Mr Herriot gave him a controlled diet, he recovered from his lethargy caused by overeating and excessive fat.

Why did Mrs Pumphrey suffer in the absence of Tricki?

ANS:     Mrs Pumphrey loved Tricki very much. She suffered thinking that Tricki was undergoing treatment and was to be operated on. She felt that he would not surive, if he did not see her daily.

What was the main cause of Tricki’s problem?

ANS:     Tricki was a greedy dog. He could never refuse to eat whatever and whenever it was given him. Only this was the main cause of Tricki’s problem.

Why could Tricki not be cured at home?

ANS:     Mrs Pumphrey loved Tricki very much and could not be strict with him regarding his diet and exercise. Therefore, he could not be cured at home. Q

Imagine that you are Mr. James Herriot. Write a diary entry describing how Tricki was cured and how you feel about returning Tricki back to Mrs. Pumphrey. 07 May 2019, Tuesday 10.30 pm Dear Diary After a fortnight, finally Tricki went back to Mrs. Pumphrey today. How happy he was as he bound back to his mistress, healthy and fit again! When Tricki came to us two weeks back, he had lost all energy , had stopped eating and was suffering from bouts of vomiting. Mrs. Pumphrey had been distraught! But she was the one to be blamed entirely. In spite of my warning her, she continued to overfeed Tricki without giving him enough exercise. I had no option but to bring Tricki with me to the surgery. We did not give him any food for two days. He started showing signs of recovery soon. We then gave him healthy food and let him play with the dogs at the surgery. Very soon he regained his energy and became a member of the boisterous pack of dogs. Meanwhile mrs. Pumphrey started sending eggs, wine and even brandy for Tricki. We, at the surgery relished all that and enjoyed two weeks of bliss in Tricki’s name. How tempting it was to keep Tricki with us permanently! But Mrs. Pumphrey’s motherly affection melted my heart. We called her to collect Tricki today. I just hope that she doesn’t spoil Tricki’s health again by her over indulgence. But if she does, then we can look forward to many more days of good food and wine again! (Sign) James