Chapter 29 Summary and Analysis

At the request of Siegfried, Herriot agrees to take over the veterinary practice of a friend, Stewie Brannan, for two weeks in the small town of Hensfield, close to a heavily industrialized area in Yorkshire County. Brannan, who has a wife and children, barely ekes out a living and has never taken his family on holiday.

The grubby vet clinic is located in the dank industrial heart of Hensfield, where Stewart Brannan ekes out a living caring for the animals of poor people. There is only one of everything: one straight suture needle, one curved suture needle, one pair of scissors, one syringe, and so on. Herriot watches at 5:50 p.m. as Brannan tackles a a mixed breed dog with an injured leg, brought in by a couple of school girls. Stewie tells them it's just a sprained shoulder. He tells...