Thursday 7 August 2008

If only they could talk ch. 3

Chapter 3 starts with siegfried giving james a tour around the practise dispensary where they look at a lot of unpronouncable medicines which are familiar and comforting to james. The medicines do become more reconizable as the book goes on so do not let this put you off. Siegfried then shows james a trick with a few crystals of resublimated iodine and added some turpentine which once combined lets of a dense cloud of purple smoke, this is one of siegfreid's party tricks and never fails to startle the farmers. He then shows james some of the antiquated instruments in the surgery and then tells james that although there isnt a lot of 'dog and cat' work at the moment he is gradually trying to get farmers to change there ways. This contradicts a lot of siegfried's later comments in the book, james is all for small animal work whereas siegfried isnt. He then takes james on his round with him, after suffering siegfrieds car seat which flings him backwards when sat upon they arrive at a farm where a horse has gone lame. The diagnosis is made and james sets about his first job. He is extremely conscious of siegfreids presence as he opens up the horses foot and evacuates all the pus and you actually feel james agony as all the weight of the horse is upon him and he dare not move untill the job is done. Eventually he does it and siegfreid finishes the job off with his turpentine party piece. Of they go to another farm where he stitches a calf up and then gets kicked in the solar plexus by a cow which literally takes the wind out of him. The farmer of course finds this hilarious but james gets the job done clearing an obstruction from one of the cows teats. The farmer seeing that the milk is now running freely again comes out with the immortal line 'capital!, she's going on four cylinders now!.

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