Some of you will have recognised this blog's namesake as one of the lesser-known James Herriot novels. I think in common with many of my collegues, the Herriot books were a formative influence - though of course they tell you on no account to mention this on your UCAS form! Doing a spot of Wikipdeia browsing this afternoon, I found a quote by Alf White (the man behind the Herriot nom de plume) which fairly sums up the way the industry has changed in the last 50 or so years since the Herriot books were based.
"Years ago, farmers were uneducated and eccentric and said funny things, and we ourselves were comparatively uneducated. We had no antibiotics, few drugs. A lot of time was spent pouring things down cows' throats. The whole thing added up to a lot of laughs. There's more science now, but not so many laughs."
The quote is attributed to a piece in Time Magazine in 1992 by Jonathan Margolis titled "But It Did Happen to a Vet", a horrible title at the best of times and I haven't followed up the attribution so this being Wikipedia I can't vouch for it (a whole other argument, mind, I think Wikipedia is *wonderful*). Rings true, though.
An aside - the Wikipedia piece on Herriot reminds me that there's a new book out which is causing some annoyance in the veterinary press, mostly from people who (like me) haven't bothered to read it. Well, it seems likely to be a pile of dross, and we're busy people. I certainly don't recommend you buy it, though I'm in no position to comment in detail. It's called "Pet Hates: The Shocking Truth about Pets and Vets" by someone calling themselves 'Josh Artmeier'. Nice anagram to hide behind, 'Josh'. Mind you, I'm one to talk...
Interesting, smells like yet another reality blog in print (cf Frank Chalk, Tom Reynolds). Except, this one doesn't seem to have a blog behind it. Google found me an extended review and the author's slightly clunky myspace. It might be worth the time of day if I can find a cheap copy...
Posted by: crazyscot | April 22, 2007 at 11:11 PM
[this is good]
Thanks for mentioning my book.
Posted by: Josh | April 28, 2007 at 02:47 PM
Please at least read the comments of vets who have read Pet Hates: http://www.hometown.aol.com/veterinfo/vetfeed.html
Posted by: Josh | April 28, 2007 at 02:51 PM
You're most welcome, Josh. (Cor, this blog has a much higher profile than I thought!)
If you wanted to send me a review copy, I'd be delighted to read it and comment more fully. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you understand, buying books is a bit low on the list of priorities while servicing a 20k+ loan on an assistant's salary!
Posted by: Vet In Harness | April 28, 2007 at 04:21 PM
Novels of James Herriot should have movies version too just like what happened on Nicholas Sparks' novels.
Posted by: custom essays | November 25, 2011 at 08:45 PM