A TRIUMPH OF SURGERY

CHAPTER – 1
FOOTPRINT WITHOUT FEET
About the Author- James Herriot
James Alfred Wight (Herriot) was an English veterinary surgeon and writer. He was born on 3 October 1916 in
Sunderland, England. James Herriot was his pen name. Being a noted veterinary surgeon, he utilised his vast
experience in writing stories about animals. He wrote a series of books of stories about animals and their
masters. James Alfred Wight (James Herriot) died on 23 February 1995, at the age of 78.

INTRODUCTION
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 lesson, he has given the description of a
dog’s disease. Mrs. Pumphrey’s dog Tricky was seriously ill. James Herriot treated the dog without medicine of
surgery.

THE THEME OF THE STORY

The story ‘A Triumph of Surgery’ revolves around an ill dog named Tricky and his mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey.
The dog was hugely fat. His eyes were blood-red and rheumy. Mrs. Pumphrey gave her malt, cod-liver oil and
bowl of Horlicks. Still, Tricky had no energy. The doctor advised her to cut down on sweet things. Tricky left
eating and kept vomiting. He was hospitalised. The doctor gave Tricky nothing to eat for the first two days
except water. On the third day, there were signs of improvement. He started taking food properly. The doctor
didn’t give him any medical treatment. Tricky used to run around and play with the other dogs cheerfully.
Soon, he recovered completely. Mrs. Pumphrey continued enquiring about Tricky on phone. When she came to
collect the dog, tears were shining in her eyes. She called this magical recovery: ‘A Triumph of Surgery’.

DETAILED SUMMARY
Tricki was a small dog. His mistress Pumphrey pampered him very much. She overfed him. She gave him food,
rich with fats. Tricki never refused food anytime. He was always greedy for food. He liked cream cakes and
biscuits very much. Mrs. Pumphrey gave him cod-liver oil and Horlicks. She gave him wine to drink.

This all made Tricki like a bloated sausage. He became very lazy. He became uninterested in things. He kept
lying all day on the carpet. He had some bouts of vomiting. Mrs. Pumphrey thought that he was seriously ill.
She called Mr. James Herriot who was a vet surgeon.Mr. Herriot expected that to happen. He knew that Tricki
was suffering because of overeating. He had already made his plans. He took a firm line. He said that Tricki
must be admitted in the hospital for a fortnight. This suggestion made Mrs. Pumphrey almost swooned. She
thought that Tricki could not live even a single day without seeing his mistress. But Mr. Herriot wrapped him in
a blanket, took him out of the house and put him in his car.The departure of Tricki was very pathetic. All the
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 Herriot reached his home, the household dogs surrounded him. They sniffed Tricki and showed no
interest in him. Till two days Herriot did not give him anything to eat. He gave him a lot of water to drink. Then
the doctor started giving him some light food. He gave him no medicine. After two days Tricki had started
taking interest in his surrounding.He mixed up with other dogs. It enjoyed being rolled over. He became a
member of the gang. At home, he had almost no exercise but at the surgery, he had a lot of exercises and fun.
Controlled diet and activities made him active.

Mrs. Pumphrey remained anxious about Tricki’s health. The doctor told him that he was better and was
convalescing. This made her think that he had gone through some surgery. So she sent daily two dozen fresh
round eggs, wine and brandy for him—so that he might recover soon. But the doctor did not give those things
to him because he really did not need this type of diet. The doctor and his partners enjoyed these eggs, wine and
brandy. After a fortnight Mrs. Pumphrey came to collect Tricki. She was tense and worried. She did not hope
that he was all right. 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.’

GIST OF THE CHAPTER

1. The Doctor Worried: The doctor, James Herriot, is really worried. Tricki had become very fat. He looks like
a bloated sausage. His eyes are red and rheumy. Mrs. Pumphrey is the mistress of the dog. She has given him
malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks every night. But nothing works.

2. James Herriot Advises Mrs. Pumphrey: James Herriot realizes that Tricki’s only fault was greed for food. Dr.
James Herriot advises Mrs. Pumphrey that she must cut Tricki’s food right down. She must give the dog some
exercise. She must keep him on a very strict diet. Otherwise, he will fall ill.

3. Tricki Falls Ill: Within a few days, Dr. Herriot receives a call from Mrs. Pumphrey. She tells him that Tricki
doesn’t eat and has bouts of vomiting. He only lies down on the rug panting. The doctor advises her that Tricki
needs to be hospitalized for a fortnight. He is to be kept under observation.

4. Tricki at Hospital: At the Surgery, the household dogs surge around Tricki. He sees them lying motionless. A
bed for Tricki is made in a warm loose box. For two days, no food is given to him but plenty of water. On the
second day, he starts taking some interest in his surroundings. On the third day, he begins to whimper when he
hears the dog in the yard. Tricki starts taking a walk around the bowls licking casually inside one or two of
them.

5. Rapid Progress: Tricki’s progress is rapid. He has no medical treatment of any kind. He runs about the dogs
joining their friend-ly barkings. He starts fighting for his share of food and hunts rats at night. Dr. Herriot tells
Mrs. Pumphrey that Tricki is not in danger and recovering rapidly. Mrs. Pumphrey starts bringing eggs, two
dozen at a time to build up his strength. Wine and brandy are given to improve Tricki’s constitution. The doctor
informs that Tricki has recovered and Mrs. Pumphrey can collect him.

6. Grateful Mrs. Pumphrey: Within two weeks, Tricki has been transformed into a flexible, hard-muscled
animal. He is stretching out in great bounds. When Tricki sees his mistress, he leaps and sails into her lap. As
the car moves away, Mrs. Pumphrey leans out of the window. Her lips tremble and tears shine in her eyes. She
says, “Oh, Mr. Herriot, how can I ever thank you? This is a triumph of surgery!”

KEY POINTS OF THE STORY TO REMEMBER.

Dr. Herriot was really worried to see the dog, Tricki.

He was very fat, his eyes were red and rheumy.
Mrs. Pumphrey, the mistress of Tricki had been giving him malt, cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks every
night.
Dr. Herriot found that the only fault of Tricki was his greed for food.
The doctor advised Mrs. Pumphrey to cut down his food correctly and give him exercise daily.
Within a few days, the doctor received a call from Mrs. Pumphrey.
Tricki was not eating anything and was vomiting again and again.
He lay down panting and didn’t go for a walk.
Dr. Herriot suggested to Mrs. Pumphrey that Tricki must be hospitalised for about a fortnight.
The poor lady almost fainted but at last Tricki was taken to the hospital.
At the Surgery, the household dogs surged around Dr. Herriot, and Tricki looked silently at them lying
motionless on the carpet.
For two days, Dr. Herriot kept an eye on Tricki and gave him no food but plenty of water.
Next day, the doctor was pleased to see Tricki jostling his way to his food bowl.
No medical treatment was given to Tricki.
Tricki’s progress was rapid and he started running about the dogs joining in their friendly barkings.
Dr. Herriot informed Mrs. Pumphrey that Tricki was out of danger and was recovering rapidly.
Mrs Pumphrey was excited to hear the news and started bringing fresh eggs to build his strength.
Even wine and brandy were given to improve Tricki’s constitution.
One day, Dr. Herriot phoned Mrs. Pumphrey that Tricki had recovered and she could take him home.
Within two weeks, Tricki had been transformed into a flexible and hard-muscled animal.
When he saw his mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey, he leaped and reached to her lap.
Mrs. Pumphrey thanked Dr. Herriot. Her eyes were wet and lips trembled.
She called Tricki’s recovery “A triumph of Surgery!”

QUESTION AND ANSWER

Read and Find Out

Q. 1. Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Ans: 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.

Q. 2. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Ans: 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.

Q. 3. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

Ans: In this story, ‘I’ refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot.

Q. 4. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

Ans: Though not clearly stated, there are instances in the story which suggest 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 calls upon the narrator to take her recovered dog back home, she comes in a chauffer-driven
“thirty feet of gleaming black metal” (an obvious reference to a limousine).

- All these instances point to the fact that Mrs Pumphrey lived a luxurious life.

Q. 5. How does he treat the dog?

Ans: The doctor gave Tricki no food, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest
in his surroundings and began mixing with the other dogs at the surgery. On the third day, the doctor saw Tricki
licking the empty supper bowls of the other dogs. Next day, a separate bowl was kept for it and the doctor was
pleased to note that Tricki had run to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, its progress was
rapid. It did not require medicinal treatment of any kind and recovered quite well at the end.

Q. 6. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

Ans: Mrs Pumphrey had started bringing around eggs to build Tricki’s strength. Later, even bottles of wineand
brandy began to arrive. The narrator and his partners started enjoying the eggs, wine and brandy meant for
Tricki. According to the narrator, they were days of deep content for them—starting with the extra egg in the
morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing the day with brandy. This was the reason why the narrator
was tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.

Q. 7. Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?

Ans: 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. 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.

Think about It
Q. 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?

Ans: I think 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.

Q. 2. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?

Ans: Yes, Tricki was very happy to go home. Tricki was also happy at the surgery. When the dog was brought
into the surgery, it was ill. But in spite of it dog got cured in two days 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 same pampering will start again. Mrs. Pumphrey will take excessive care of the dog. There is no
doubt it was her lone, but excess of anything is harmful.

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

Ans: This story could be a mixture of both: real life episode and a mere fiction. Mrs. Pumphrey is a rich lady
and has a pet dog. It is because of her pampering that she overfeeds her dog which results in its illness.
Although she has good intention in her mind but excess of everything is bad. This episode can be treated as a
fiction who do not take it seriously. It can be called real life for those parents who take excessive care of their
child.