A Triumph of Surgery

Summary

The narrator, a veterinary surgeon, saves the life of a dog, Tricki, who fell ill because he was over fed and pampered, with little exercise, by his wealthy owner, Mrs Pumphrey .
The vet decided to take the dog to his surgery, away from his doting owner, in order to treat him by cutting his diet and making him exercise. He used no medication.
The doctor was able to achieve it in a fortnight. Mrs. Pumphrey was very grateful and called it a ‘Triumph of Surgery’.

Comprehension Questions

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. What makes you know that Mrs Humphrey was a rich lady?
Mrs Humphrey was a wealthy lady as she had many servants and maids also had a pet.
She used to feed her pet with a lot of dishes, sweets and snacks. Moreover, she had a
separate room and wardrobe for her pet. All these things show that she was a rich lady.

2. Why did Mrs Humphrey call the doctor?/Why did Mrs Humphrey take Tricki to the doctor?
Tricki had not been eating anything for the past few days. He had refused even his
favourite dishes and had bouts of vomiting. Moreover, he was spending his time lying on
a rug; panting. He was not going for walks. All these symptoms forced Mrs Humphrey to
visit the doctor.

3. How does Dr. Herriot treat Tricki?
Dr Herriot cut down Trick’s food and made him exercise. For the first three days he was
given no food, only water. He had no medicinal treatment but he ran about all day with
the other dogs. He discovered the joys of being bowled over, tramped on and squashed
every minute. He enjoyed a lot along with his recovery.

4. Why were the household dogs not interested in Tricky initially?
Tricky was a newcomer in the house. He lay motionless on the carpet with dull eyes. The
rest of the pack sniffed around him. They found him uninteresting and ignored him.
Moreover, Tricky was very lethargic to play with them. But after a few days, Tricky
discovered the joys of being bowled over, tramped on and squashed every few minutes.
He became an accepted member of the gang.

5. Why was Dr. Herriot confident that he would soon hear from Mrs. Pumphrey?
When Dr. Herriot saw Tricki in the street with Mrs. Pumphrey, he had become hugely fat.
His eyes were bloodshot and rheumy and his tongue lolled from his jaws. According to
his mistress he had become listless and seemed to have no energy. Mrs. Pumphrey
thought he was suffering from malnutrition and began giving him extra nutrition to build
him up.
On the other hand,Dr Herriot was sure that if his food was not cut down and more
exercise was not given to him, he would be really ill soon.

6. Why was the entire staff of Mrs Humphrey at work while Tricky was going to the
hospital?
Tricki was Mrs Humphrey’s beloved dog, and when he was going to the hospital, the
entire staff got to work, trying to load his day and night beds, favourite cushions, toys
and rubber rings, and food bowls into the narrator’s car.

7. What was the main cause of `Trick’s ill-health’?
Tricki was overfed by Mrs Humphrey. He became hugely fat and inactive. His only fault
was greed. He had never been known to refuse food. He was pampered with a lot of
cream cakes, chocolates and Horlicks. Hardly any form of exercise was given to him. This
was the main cause of his illness.

8. Why did Mr. Herriot ask Mrs. Humphrey to admit Tricki in a hospital?
Dr Herriot was worried because Tricki had become sluggish as he had grown so fat that
it became difficult for him to walk. He started panting all the time, kept on vomiting and
stopped eating. He had suggested to Mrs Humphrey to cut down his food and give him
some exercise but she was reluctant to do so. Hence Dr. Herriot suggested that Tricki be
kept under observation in a hospital.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words.

1. Why was Dr. Herriot tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?
Tricki, Mrs Pumphrey’s dog fell ill due to overfeeding and lack of exercise. So, she called
the veterinary surgeon, Dr Herriot for the help. Dr Herriot took Tricki to his surgery. He
kept him on a diet with no medication. Tricki began playing with other dogs and was
soon on the road to recovery. During his stay at the surgery, Mrs Pumphrey started to
bring round to the vet’s surgery fresh eggs, two dozen at a time. She also sent bottles of
wine and brandy for Trick’s health. But that was consumed by Mr Herriot and members
of his household. Hence, Dr. Herriot enjoyed Tricki’s stay. But, he did not want to keep
Tricki for a long time because he was concerned for Mrs Pumphrey. He did not want to
separate the pet from his owner. So after a fortnight, he called Mrs. Pumphrey to tell her
that her dog had recovered.

2. Tricki’s declined health was the outcome of Mrs Pumphrey’s over-caring nature. Do you think such people’s actions can prove to be fatal for the health of their pets?
Mrs Pumphrey was a wealthy lady with a pet dog named Tricki. Tricki was too dear to
Mrs Pumphrey. Hence, she took extra care of him. She pampered the dog with all kinds
of comforts. The dog had many coats worn according to the weather, had different
cushions for his comfort and also had various dishes to eat. Some extras between meals
were given to him, some malt, cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him
sleep. He was also given cream cakes and chocolates. This made him fat and lethargic.
He was hardly given any exercise. MrsPumphrey’s extra-caring nature affected in Tricki’s
health.
Although Mrs. Pumphrey was warned by Dr. Herriot that she should cut down on Tricki’s
food and give him more exercise, she did not heed the warning.
The same was taken care by Dr. Herriot at his surgery, which resulted in the speedy
recovery of Tricki.

3. Herriot believed that Tricki’s problem was his greed, but Mrs. Pumphrey was equally responsible. Explain.
Dr. Herriot was not entirely wrong in believing that Tricki’s problem was greed. Tricki was indeed greedy, but Mrs. Pumphrey only made matters worse by stuffing him with rich
food. Tricky, on the other hand, needed to exercise control on his eating habits. It would
have been good if he did not greedily gobble up everything that was placed in front of
him.
Mrs Pumphrey herself reveals that Tricky loved cream cakes and chocolates very much.
She should have fed him only food which dogs eat, along with plenty of exercise and not
treated him like a human baby.

4. Herriot seems to be a duty-bound doctor Elucidate the above statement.
Herriot was a duty-bound veterinary doctor. Mrs Pumphrey was a very rich lady who
pampered her dog. Dr. Herriot was quite worried about Tricki’s health. He knew that the
dog was over-fed by his owner and was not in good health. He advised Mrs Pumphrey to
reduce Tricki’s diet and give him a lot of exercise. But she didn’t bother.
When Tricki’s condition deteriorated further, he decided to take matters into his own
hands. In order to improve Trick’s health, he decided to take him away from Mrs
Pumphrey. He told her that Tricki needed to go to the hospital and be kept under
observation. He cut down Tricki’s diet and left him to play and exercise with the other
dogs, which improved his health. A fortnight later, he returned the dog to Mrs. Pumphrey. He fulfilled his duties as a concerned vet.

Questions from the text book.

Read and Find Out

1. Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Mrs Pumphrey was worried and distraught because Tricki would not eat anything. It even
refused its favourite dishes. It had bouts of vomiting. It spent all its time lying on the rug
and panting. It did not want to go for walks or do anything.

2. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
She called the doctor to help Tricki. Yes, her decision was wise. The doctor suggested
that Tricki should be hospitalised. She swooned and wailed, but let the dog go with the
doctor. Ultimately, the doctor was successful in curing Tricki.

3. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
In this story, ‘I’ refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot.

Read and find out.

1. Is the narrator as rich as Trickis mistress?
Though not clearly stated, there are instances in the story which suggests that the
narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphrey. While the narrator is able to
provide Tricki with a warm loose box as a bed, at Mrs Pumphrey’s house, Tricki has a day
bed, a night bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a lunch bowl, a supper
bowl, a whole wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many more things. When he arrives
to take the dog with him, Mrs Pumphrey has her entire staff at her disposal to transfer all
of Tricki’s belongings to the doctor’s car. On hearing from the doctor about Tricki’s
gradual recovery, Mrs Pumphrey sends along two dozen eggs at a time, along with
bottles of wine and brandy—all in order to help in Tricki’s speedy recovery.
Finally, when she comes to take her recovered dog back home, she comes in
driven ‘thirty feet of gleaming black metal’ (an obvious reference to a limousine).

2. Why is he tempted to keep Trickion as a permanent guest?
Mrs Pumphrey had started bringing around eggs to build Trickis strength. Later even
bottles of wine and brandy began to arrive. The narrator and his household started
enjoying the eggs, wine and brandy meant for Tricki. According to the narrator, they
were days of deep content for them—This was the reason why the narrator was tempted
to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.

3. Why does Mrs. Pumphrey think the dogs recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?
Mrs Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery was ‘a triumph of surgery’ because in two
weeks, Tricki had recovered completely and had been transformed into a hardmuscled
animal. When Tricki saw her, it leaped into her lap and licked her face. She was so excited
that tears started rolling out of her eyes. She declared Tricki’s recovery as a triumph of

surgery to express her happiness and gratitude towards the doctor.

Page No: 6 Think about It

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?

The narrator; a veterinary surgeon is a very tactful person. He knows how to deal with
people. He adjusts himself well to the circumstances. He immediately understand Tricki’s
problem. Tricki doesn’t suffer from any sort of illness. The main cause of its illness is
overfeeding. He takes the dog to his surgery. There he keeps it in natural environment.

The dog gets well under his supervision and natural environment of surgery.

2. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?
Tricki was very happy to go home. Tricki was also happy at the surgery. Wh
was brought into the surgery, it was ill. But in spite of it dog got cured in tw
without any medication. The proper diet and regular exercise helped a lot in its speedy
recovery. The dog regained its best health and was no longer listless.
Now, I think the same pampering will start again. Mrs. Pumphrey will take excessive care

of the dog. There is no doubt it was her love, but excess of anything is harmful.

3. Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?
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.

Talk About It (Page 7)

1. This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly or can their actions cause harm to others?
Mrs Pumphrey’s actions had a harmful reaction on Tricki’s health. She was over-
parenting and overfeeding Tricki in the name of love. This worsened his condition to an
extent that he had to be hospitalised. People like Mrs Pumphrey are not just merely silly
but their actions can definitely have dangerous consequences for others.

2. Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?
Yes, there are some parents like Mrs Pumphrey who spoil their children by pampering
them. They overfeed their children/pets despite being aware of the harmful effects on
their health. Parents like Mrs Pumphrey should maintain a healthy lifestyle of their family
and pets.

3. What would you have done if you were: a member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s
household, a neighbour? What would your life have been like, in general?
Personal Response

4. What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?
Personal Response

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1 Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow.

(a) I had made my plans in advance. The only way was to get Tricki out of the house for a period.
i. Who is referred to as ‘I’ and what plans had he made?
‘I’ refers to the vet, Dr. Herriot.
He had made plans to take Mrs. Humphrey’s dog, Tricki out of the house in
order to cure him.

ii. Why did Tricki need to be taken out of the house?
Tricki was overfed by his mistress, Mrs. Humphrey. He was pampered with a lot
of cream cakes, chocolates and Horlicks. Hardly any form of exercise was given
to him. This was the main cause of his illness.

iii. What suggestion did the speaker give and to whom?
The speaker, Dr. Herriot suggested to Mrs. Humphrey that Tricki be hospitalized
for about a fortnight, to be kept under observation.

iv. Give the antonym of ‘in advance’.
afterwards

(b) Poor old lad”, I said. “You haven’t a kick in you but I think I know a cure for you”.
i. Who does the speaker address as ‘poor old lad’?
The speaker addresses Tricki, Mrs. Pumphrey’s pet dog as a poor old lad.

ii. What was the condition of the ‘poor old lad’?
Tricki was ill, refused to eat even his favourite dishes, had bouts of vomiting and
spent his time panting on the rug.

iii. What cure did the speaker know?
The speaker knew that the cure for Tricki’s illness was to put him on a strict diet
and give him lots of exercise.

iv. Write a synonym of ‘cure’.
‘heal’

Q2 Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words.

(a) What kind of treatment was given to Tricki? Did it help in his recovery?
Tricki was given a non-medicinal treatment. His diet regimen was altered
depending upon his body’s response to it. He was kept on liquid diet for the first
two days and then his diet was gradually increased. Yes, this treatment did help
Tricki as it built up energy in him. He was transformed to an energetic, hard-
muscled dog in just a fortnight.

(b) What ‘little extras’ did Mrs Pumphrey start to give Tricki and why?
Mrs Pumphrey thought that Tricki was suffering from malnutrition, as he was
weak and listless. So, she started to give him extra snacks like cod-liver oil and
malt between the main meals and Horlicks after dinner to make him stronger.
She also continued his cream cakes and chocolates.

(c) Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is ‘a triumph of surgery’?
Mrs Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery was ‘a triumph of surgery’
because in two weeks, Tricki had recovered completely and had been
transformed into a hard muscled animal. She declared Tricki’s recovery as a
triumph of surgery to express her happiness and gratitude towards the doctor.

Q3 Answer the following questions in about 100-120 words.

(a) Mrs Pumphrey’s love for Tricki did more harm than good.
Mrs Pumphrey was a rich woman who loved her dog very much. She loved to live
a comfortable and lavish life and also wanted her dog to spend a similar one. She
had maintained a wardrobe full of fancy fur coats, dresses, beds etc for Tricki.

Apart from this, she used to overfeed Tricki out of her love and concern.
She did not realise that Tricki was a greedy dog and the food that she was giving
him was making him fat and lethargic, affecting his health.
She gave him cod-liver oil and malt between the main meals and Horlicks after
dinner to give him strength.
Her overfeeding worsened Tricki’s condition to such an extent that the good vet
had to take the dog away from her to a hospital. Even in the hospital she
continued to shower her love by sending eggs, wine and brandy for building
Tricki’s strength.

(b) Write the character sketch of Dr. James Herriot.
Dr Herriot was a capable veterinary surgeon who treated Tricki. He was a very
compassionate doctor and a wise and sympathetic human being. He showed his
capabilities almost immediately when he advised Mrs Pumphrey to put Tricki on
a strict diet after understanding his symptoms. He can also be said to be an
understanding and tactful person as he knew exactly how to free Tricki from Mrs
Pumphrey’s ‘love’ for his betterment. He does not operate upon the poor dog
unnecessarily and adopts a practical approach to treat him. The doctor was a
caring and polite individual as he successfully and patiently allays Mrs
Pumphrey’s anxiety about Tricki’s recovery. He was in all a good human being
and a successful professional.