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A Triumph of Surgery Summary in English by James Herriot
A Triumph of Surgery by James Herriot About the Author
| Author Name | James Herriot |
| Born | 3 October 1916, Sunderland, United Kingdom |
| Died | 23 February 1995, Thirlby, United Kingdom |
| Spouse | Joan Catherine Anderson Danbury (m. 1941–1995) |
| Movies | All Creatures Great and Small, It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet |
A Triumph of Surgery Summary in English
Mrs Pumphrey was a rich and emotional lady who had a cute pet dog called Tricki. She loved him so much that she overfed him. Tricki had put on a lot of weight which made him lethargic. When doctor Herriot saw the fat dog like a bloated sausage, he was shocked. He made a plan and told Mrs Pumphrey that Tricki needed treatment for his ailment, which was possible only in the hospital. The doctor knew that Mrs Pumphrey would not be able to keep the dog on a proper diet. When the greedy dog went to hospital, he had to remain hungry, if he was slow to approach for food. He was given food at fixed intervals. Soon, he shed off a lot of his body weight and became quite active.
When Tricki was at home, he was pampered by Mrs Pumphrey. He led a luxurious life, where he was served with cream cake, chocolate and Horlicks. But when he came to the doctor, he became all right. When Mrs Pumphrey saw her active dog, she thanked the doctor and felt that it was a triumph of surgery.
A Triumph of Surgery Summary Questions and Answers
Question 1.
How was TVicki treated in the first two days of his visit to the surgery?
Answer:
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.
Question 2.
What made THcki get well so soon?
Answer:
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.
Question 3.
Why did Mrs Pumphrey suffer in the absence of Tricki?
Answer:
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.
Question 4.
What was the main cause of Tricki’s problem?
Answer:
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.
Question 5.
Why could Tricki not be cured at home?
Answer:
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.
Question 6.
How did lunch become ‘a ceremonial occasion’ for Mr Herriot and his partners?
Answer:
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.
Question 7.
‘You must harden your heart and help him on a strict diet.’ Why does Mr Herriot suggest this to Mrs Pumphrey?
Answer:
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.
Question 8.
Why was Mr Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?
Answer:
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.
Question 9.
(i) What was Mrs Pumphrey’s reaction when THcki showed little enthusiasm for exertion?
(ii) What did Mrs Pumphrey do to bring Tricki back to normal health? Was she wise?
Answer:
(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.
Question 10.
How was THcki greeted at the surgery by other dogs in the beginning?
Answer:
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.