A TRIUMPH OF SURGERY

-JAMES HARRIOT

INTRODUCTION:

The story "A Triumph of Surgery" is a humorous account of an overfed dog who has
become very fat and listless thanks to the excessive concern of his owner. The
narrator, a veterinary surgeon, rescues the dog by taking him to his hospital after
convincing the owner that the animal could not be cured at home. He treats the dog
by putting him on compulsive fasting for two days. However, the owner mistakenly
considers the pet's cure to be a triumph of surgery, least realizing that controlled diet
and exercise was responsible for the pet's recovery.

SUMMARY:

The narrator of the story "A Triumph of Surgery" is Dr. Herriot, a veterinary surgeon
who gets really worried about Tricki, the pet dog of a rich woman ,Mrs Pumphrey.
He is shocked to see the excessively fat dog with red eyes and lolling  tongue
walking with his owner in the street.

Mrs Pumphrey, who is foolishly indulgent, claims that Tricki's listlessness is an

outcome of malnutrition. So, she overfeeds him with some 'extras' like malt and cod-
liver oil. She also gives him a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep well. In
addition, she serves him cream cakes and chocolates in spite of the vet's advice to cut
down the dog's sweet intake. Dr Herriot concludes that the real problem with the
dog is his greed for food along with excessive pampering by his owner. To make
things worse, Tricki is not being given adequate physical exercise.

The vet warns Mrs Pumphrey that if Tricki's diet is not modified and if he is not
given an adequate amount of exercise, he is bound to become seriously unwell. This
prediction comes true within a few days. Tricki stops eating and lies panting all the
time on the rug with intermittent bouts of vomiting. The vet had anticipated this
situation and is ready with a plan. The foremost thing he does is to get Tricki away

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from his owner. So, he convinces her that the dog has to be hospitalized for a
fortnight in order to cure him. This makes Mrs Pumphrey restless as she is certain
that her dog would not be able to bear such a long separation from her. But the vet is
determined to save the little dog and he takes him. away, wrapped in a blanket,
much against the wishes of his owner.

At the surgery, the other dogs get curious and gather round the vet. They sniff the
motionless Tricki and find him to be an uninteresting object. They ignore him when
he does not respond.

The doctor makes a comfortable bed for Tricki and places him in a loose box next to
where other dogs used to sleep. He observes him closely for two days and does not
give him any food except plenty of water. Towards the close of the second day, Tricki
starts taking some interest in his surroundings and on the third day he starts making
a feeble sound in response to the dogs in the yard. When the doctor opens the door,
Tricki goes out slowly and is immediately surrounded by Joe, the greyhound, and
other dogs. They inspect him, roll him over, and move off down the garden. Tricki
follows them despite his surplus fat.

Later, at the feeding time on that day, the dogs rush headlong towards their bowls
and start eating noisily and greedily. After the dogs finish their food, Tricki walks up
to the shining bowls and casually licks into a couple of them. The next day, an extra
bowl is kept and the doctor feels happy on seeing Tricki jostling towards the bowls.
From this point onwards, Tricki's recovery paces up. He starts taking interest in
playing with other dogs who accept him as a member of their gang. Like them, he
too starts fighting for food at meal time, and at night hunts for rats. Dr Herriot is
pleased to see Tricki recover without any medication.

However, a worried Mrs Pumphrey keeps on ringing up the surgery at least a dozen
times a day to inquire whether her pet dog's comfort is being taken care of. Dr
Herriot smartly evades her queries and assures her that Tricki is out of danger and is
improving gradually. This makes Mrs Pumphrey anxious and she begins to send
abundant supply of eggs and wine to enrich her little dog's blood. This feast is used
by the vet and his attendants since such a rich diet was not good for the dog.

After relishing these delicacies for a fortnight, the doctor overcomes the temptation
of extending Tricki's stay. He informs Mrs Pumphrey that the dog has recovered
fully and can be taken back home.

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Within minutes of this call, Mrs Pumphrey arrives in her long gleaming car to collect
Tricki. Dr Herriot fetches the cured dog who is now an agile, muscular and smart
animal. Tricki surprises his owner by rushing through the chauffeur's open door,
licking her face and barking out of sheer happiness. Mrs Pumphrey thanks the
doctor and drives away with tears of joy, thinking that surgery saved her dog's life.

TITLE:

"A Triumph of Surgery" is an apt title for the story. Tricki's speedy recovery is
actually the outcome of appropriate diagnosis and accurate treatment. Such a
recovery is usually obtained only after surgical intervention. But Dr Herriot's
wisdom and initiative to keep Tricki away from his owner and bringing him to the
surgery to cure him by simply cleansing his system becomes a 'triumph' over Tricki's
ailment in the real sense.

THEME:

The story is based on the theme that over-indulgence can be life threatening,
especially when the caretaker is ignorant. Tricki's life comes under threat because his
owner, Mrs Pumphrey expresses her love for him by overfeeding him.

Another theme of the story is the tactfulness of a young and efficient veterinary
surgeon. He cures Tricki without any medication by simply controlling his diet and
giving him proper exercise. 

MESSAGE:

Through the story "A Triumph of Surgery", the author, who is a veterinary surgeon,
wants to convey the message that our love for our pets should not be expressed by
pampering them too much. Such over-indulgence can be life threatening for the poor
animal who trusts his master completely. In fact, pets need a balance between
indulgence and strictness. A restricted wholesome diet, supplemented with plenty of
exercise is all that is needed to keep one's pet healthy.

Excess of everything is bad, even of love.

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HUMOUR:

The story "A Triumph of Surgery" is full of situational humour, coupled with
humour resulting out of interesting statements. Tricki's looking like a bloated
sausage' or being able to 'tackle a meal at any hour of the day or night' is very
amusing. Mrs Pumphrey's excessive concern for Tricki and sending an abundant
supply of eggs and wine for him also makes things funny. The doctor and party
having a feast at the cost of the rich lady is certainly enjoyable. Thus, the entire
episode is replete with situations, incidents and statements that compel the reader to
laugh.

CHARACTERS
1. MRS. PUMPHREY
Mrs Pumphrey is a very rich lady who is over-concerned about her pet dog Tricki.
The excessive love of this over-indulgent woman for her pet robs her of her power of
reasoning. She bows down to his demands and feeds him with a highly unsuitable
diet. She gives him sweet things like creams and chocolates despite the doctor's
orders to stop overfeeding. Besides, she is very casual about the dog's need for
physical activity. However, she does get genuinely worried when Tricki becomes
listless and even agrees to send him to the vet's surgery for the sake of his well-
being. But her anxiousness for his recovery compels her to call up the surgery
several times a day.

This woman is rather foolish in some ways since she sends eggs and wine to the
surgery to improve her dog's condition. Earlier too, she used to give him things like
horlicks to boost his health. Little Joes she realize that her over-indulgence is the
precise cause of Tricki's ailment.

Mrs Pumphrey is also a show-off and never skips an excuse to flaunt her wealth. She
reaches the surgery in a flashy car to bring back a recovered Tricki. Earlier, when
Tricki is being taken away by Dr Herriot, she packs cushions, coats and other stuff
for his comfort.

In sum, Mrs Pumphrey is a typical representation of a idle and rich woman who is so
dumb that it nearly costs Tricki his life.

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2. DR. HERRIOT
Dr Herriot is an efficient veterinary surgeon devoted to his profession.

His concern for Tricki's well-being is genuine; that is why he does not mince his
words while warning a rich woman like Mrs Pumphrey. He is wise and a good judge
of others' character. He knows well that Mrs Pumphrey's indulgent behaviour
towards Tricki will further ruin the dog's health. Out of her love for the pet, she
would never be able to restrict his diet. So, he plans in advance to move Tricki away
from his owner and bring him to his surgery. His skill as an accomplished vet is
reflected by the fact that he cures Tricki without resorting to any complicated
surgical interventions. Dr Herriot is also an intelligent and a tactful man. He very
smartly evades answering Mrs Pumphrey's queries regarding Tricki's ailment and
treatment procedure. He wisely side-tracks the issue by telling her that the dog is out
of danger and is gradually improving.

However, he is very considerate and does not take undue advantage of anyone's
trust. He does not prolong the dog's stay simply to keep the supply of goodies sent
by Mrs Pumphrey going. Earlier, instead of returning the delicacies sent by Mrs
Pumphrey for Tricki, he shares them with his friends. In this tactful manner, he not
only pleases Mrs Pumphrey but also keeps his friends happy.

On the whole, Dr Herriot is a capable veterinary surgeon, full of tact, common sense,
intelligence and worldly wisdom, and above all, he was a good human being.

3. TRICKI
In the beginning of the story, the roly-poly Tricki looks very lethargic owing to his
obesity. His greed for food is insatiable and any time is meal-time for him. He is an
overfed and pampered pet who falls ill due to excessive eating and lack of exercise.

Tricki is very adaptable and adjusts easily to new situations. Although he is

pampered by his owner with luxuries and good food, he is very happy at the
surgery where he has to make effort to eat his share of food. His golden body is
adorned with flapping ears and he stands out as a well groomed dog amid the other
dogs at the surgery, who are all shaggy.

Tricki is sociable, so the moment he gets well, he makes friends with other dogs. He
is also a loving pet and showers love and affection upon his owner when he meets

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her after a fortnight's separation. In the end, a two week's stay at the surgery
transforms him into a lithe, hard-muscled animal.