A Triumph of Surgery Class 10 | James Herriot | Chapter 1 | English |

A Triumph of Surgery Class 10 by James Herriot | Chapter 1 | English |

About the Author

James Herriot was a vet surgeon. He had many great experiences of curing pet dogs and cats . He has given a very interesting and touching expression of his experiences. In  this chapter he has given the description of a dog’s disease which was seriously ill.

Summary of A Triumph of Surgery

Tricki was a small dog. His mistress Pumphrey pampered him very much. She was a rich and emotional lady but she loved him so much that she usually overfed him. She gave him cod liver oil, some malt and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep. So he had put on a lot of weight which made him slow and pathetic.This all made Tricki like a bloated sausage. He became very lazy and uninterested in things. He kept lying all the day on the carpet. He had some bouts of vomiting as well. Mrs. Pumphrey thought that he was seriously ill. Therefore, She called Mr. James Herriot who was a vet surgeon to look after her pet. When the doctor (James Herriot) sees the fat dog, he tells Mrs. Pumphrey that Tricki needed a steady treatment for that disease which could only be possible in his hospital.

The doctor knew that Tricki was suffering because of over eating. He had already made his plans. He knew also that Mrs. Pumphrey would not be able to keep her dog on a proper diet.  So Mr. Herriot took a firm line. He said that Tricki must be admitted to the hospital for a fortnight if she wanted him to feel alright. This suggestion made Mrs. Pumphrey almost swooned. She thought that Tricki could not live even single day without seeing his mistress. But Mr. Herriot somehow convinced her, wrapped the dog in a blanket, took him out of the house and put him in his car.The departure of Tricki was very pathetic. The entire house was aroused. The maids were putting Tricki’s things in the car. Everyone was in tears. The doctor took the dog away in his car to the surgery.

When the doctor reached his surgery, the household dogs surrounded him for he was new to them. They kept on sniffing Tricki and showed no interest in him. For two days, Herriot did not give him anything to eat but a lot of water to drink. After few days, the doctor started giving him some light food. He gave him no medicine as given earlier. After two days, Tricki started taking interest in his surroundings and playing with all the other dogs.

He, soon, mixed up with other dogs. He enjoyed being rolled over by others. He became the member of the gang. At home, he had almost no exercise but at the surgery he had a lot of exercises, controlled diet and end number of activities which made him slightly active and agile.

On the other hand, Mrs. Pumphrey remained anxious about Tricki’s health. The doctor told her that about the progress he was making. All that, made her think that he had gone through some kind of surgery. Therefore she sent two dozen of fresh round eggs, wine and brandy and many other things daily for him so that he might eat healthy and recover as soon as possible. But, the doctor had a different plan. He did not give any of those things to him for he really didn’t need this type of diet. On the contrary, the doctor and his partners enjoyed those eggs, wine and brandy sent by Mrs. Pumphery for her pet.

After a fortnight Mrs. Pumphrey comes to collect Tricki. She was stressed and worried about her dog. On reaching there, She finds that he was alright which she had never expected before reaching there. But when the doctor brought Tricki, he jumped ,at once, into Mrs. Pumphrey’s arms. She was surprised to see all this. She said that it was a ‘ Victory of Surgery’. In this way, he was cured and brought back to his same energy which he had before.

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Important Questions/Answers of A Triumph of Surgery

Q1. Why is Mrs. Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey is worried  about Tricki for it has become hugely fat. It looks like a bloated sausage. Its eyes are blood red and rheumy. Its tongue lolls down its jaws. All this is happening because of its poor eating habits.

Q2. “Mrs. Pumphrey was responsible for the ailment of Tricki.” Comment.

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady. She included ice cream, chocolates, malt, cod liver oil and Horlicks to Tricki’s diet. It was a rich diet. But she didn’t get it for walking. Nor did she give it a physical exercise.

Q3. How did the narrator treat Tricki at the surgery?

Ans. Mr. Herriot, the author made a bed for Tricki. It was next to where the other dogs slept. Tricki was given no food. However, it was given plenty of water. His habits needed to be regulated. He was kept under a proper observation. This treatment made it all right soon.

Q4. Why was the entire staff of Mrs. Pumphrey at work while Tricki was going to hospital?

Ans. The entire staff of Mrs Pumphrey was at work while Tricki was going to hospital. This was so because Tricki was the most darling to Mrs. Pumphrey. She was wailing for him as he was ill. To help her tide over this situation her entire staff was at work.

Q5. Why was the doctor and the staff tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

Ans. It was, indeed, a temptation to keep Tricki as a permanent guest. It was because Mrs Pumphrey had started sending fresh eggs, two dozen at a time so that her pet can recover as soon as possible. On the other hand, the staff of Mr. Herriot ate those eggs. There came bottles of wine etc. It was really great thing for them. Mr. Herriot did not give any of those things to Tricki.

Q6. Why was Mr. Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?

Ans. Mr. Herriot was shocked to see Tricki’s appearance. It had become hugely fat. It looked like a bloated sausage with a leg at each corner. Its eyes were bloodshot and rheumy. It looked ill in appearance. It was in a state of illness.

Q7. What advice did the doctor give to Mrs. Pumphrey? Why did she not follow it? What excuse did she make?

Ans. The doctor advised Mrs. Pumphrey to cut Tricki’s food and give him more exercise. If she didn’t do so, he would surely fall ill. But she didn’t follow as she couldn’t do so since she loved him like her own child.

Q8. What was Tricki’s ailment? How did it worry Mrs. Pumphrey?

Ans. Tricki had become greatly fat. It had become fat like a bloating sausage with a leg at each corner. Its eyes were full of blood. Its tongue lolled from its jaws. It worried her greatly as she loved Tricki a lot and could not live without her.

Q9. Why did Mrs. Pumphrey make a frantic call to Mr. Herriot?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey made a frantic call to Mr. Herriot because Tricki was seriously ill. He ate nothing. He refused even when he was served with his favourite dishes. He had bouts of vomiting. He liked to do nothing but sit idly.

Q10. What was Mr. Herriot’s strict advice? Did Mrs. Pumphrey heed his advice? What excuses did she make?

Ans. Mr. Herriot’s strict advice was to cut down on the sweet things and to give him a plenty of exercise. But Mrs. Pumphrey didn’t heed this advice. She thought Tricki was weak. So she was giving him cream cakes and chocolates. Tricki had very little exercise because the gardener was unwell.

Q11. Describe the’ parting scene’ between Tricki and Mrs. Pumphrey’s household.

Ans. At the time of parting, Mrs. Pumphrey started wailing. The entire staff was roused. The maids rushed in and out bringing his beds and bowls to the doctor’s car. When the doctor drove the car away everybody in the house was in tears.

Q12. How did Tricki treat his mistress when she went to collect him?

Ans. When Tricki saw his mistress after such a long time, he took off from Herriot’s arm, took a tremendous leap and sailed straight away into Mrs Pumphrey’s lap. He swarmed over her and started licking her face and barking as loud as he could.

Long Answer Type Question of A Triumph of Surgery

Q1. What kind of a person is the veterinary surgeon? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense? Elaborate.

Ans. I think that the veterinary surgeon is a very practical person. He has a lot of common sense and is also tactful. At once, he understands the illness of Tricki. He advises accordingly that Tricki should be taken to the surgery. He is kind-hearted and jovial kind of fellow as well. He knows that Tricki would be all right when regulated with his diet. The veterinary surgeon is a bit selfish also for wants to keep Tricki for a long time which clearly states that he wants to get a good supply of things from Mrs. Pumphrey. But it doesn’t show his meanness. It is merely out of humour and fun. He treats Tricki by regulating his diet in a short period. Then he returns Tricki to Mrs. Pumphrey. This shows that he is full of common sense.

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