Book review:

Tell Me Where It Hurts:

A day of humor, healing and hope in my life as an animal surgeon
by Nick Trout
List price: $22.95 (hard cover)

Dr Nick Trout is a surgeon in a hospital that specialises in accident and emergency consultations so by definition would view the worst cases and the best cures. The Angell hospital has been in operation for over half a century and is still as well appreciated today as it was when it was newly built.

Readers are taken on a journey into the daily running of the hospital and are told of the circumstsnces that a vet must consider when dealing with each and every patient. For instance, top of the list is the best option for the pet - no use extending its life if it is going to be a life of suffering. Next is the owner - maybe one treatment is the best for an animal but it may also be the most expensive and the vet must sometimes consider this and perhaps settle for a not-so-efficient treatment that is less expensive.

I would recommend that everyone who is considering becoming a vet read this book first, as it tells not only of the happy and sad times that are part of the job but gives also a very vivid picture of the types of work involved, the types of animals the vets are likely to be called upon to treat in a pet practice (and these are becoming more diverse and exotic all the time) and the frustrations likely to make many vets consider whether they are in the right job or not.