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Circus Doctor
Story of the Chief Veterinarian for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
- GenresNonfictionAnimalsMedical
238 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1951
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 23, 2019
First of all, thanks to GR friend Dorcas for mentioning this book to me a few years ago. I was able to order it not long after that, but never managed to read it until now.
This book was published in 1951, ten years after Dr. Henderson was hired as veterinarian for the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. We jump into the circus with him and head to winter quarters in Sarasota to meet the 700 animals he would be caring for. Treating exotic animals in our day is tricky enough, can you imagine doing it in the early 1940's? No penicillin, apparently no tranquilizer dart guns, and not really any knowledge around about what exactly to do with the critters when they get sick. Doc Henderson had to learn on the fly.
I used to work in a vet clinic, so i enjoyed the book a lot. I felt like I was listening to someone telling me Tales Of The Old Days. This is not a novel like Herriot's books, it is memoir 'as told to', so it feels different but the situations are just as dramatic and sometimes quite funny.
Or both. Here is the end result of what happened when the work elephants somehow went on a stampede one year in Atlanta. The men got them all rounded up fairly quickly, except for Judy, who managed to "cut a twelve-mile path of terror and destruction" before she was caught. Let Doc tell the rest:
"I heard that the local police department was phoned by a slightly hysterical female voice that said: 'There is a very strange animal. I never saw anything like it before and he is in my yard and I want you to come and get him.'
"What kind of an animal is it?' asked the officer.
'I've no idea,' said the woman. 'Something I have never seen anything like before!'
'Well, what'a he doing in your yard? asked the officer.
'He is uprooting all my flowers with his tail.'
'And then' said the officer, 'what does he do?'
'Oh. . . , said the woman, 'I'm afraid I can't tell you that!"
True or not, this little scene gave me the giggles.
Overall I was happy with the book, and the pictures were nice too. It will be a nice addition to my 'vet books' collection. The only thing that threw me for a loop was something that came up in the very last pages, where Doc told about an operation he performed on a cheetah that somehow (no details given here) broke both her hind legs. He described the big cat as "six weeks out of the jungles of India".
???!!!
I checked wiki just in case there were cheetahs in India without my knowing about it during my 60 years of life, but the only place they are besides Africa is Iran, and they are quite rare there, so hopefully the person Doc was telling these stories to just misheard and didn't check on his facts.
Anyway, still a nice book and definitely a slice of history, since never again will any circus be the same as they were in Doc Henderson's day.
This book was published in 1951, ten years after Dr. Henderson was hired as veterinarian for the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. We jump into the circus with him and head to winter quarters in Sarasota to meet the 700 animals he would be caring for. Treating exotic animals in our day is tricky enough, can you imagine doing it in the early 1940's? No penicillin, apparently no tranquilizer dart guns, and not really any knowledge around about what exactly to do with the critters when they get sick. Doc Henderson had to learn on the fly.
I used to work in a vet clinic, so i enjoyed the book a lot. I felt like I was listening to someone telling me Tales Of The Old Days. This is not a novel like Herriot's books, it is memoir 'as told to', so it feels different but the situations are just as dramatic and sometimes quite funny.
Or both. Here is the end result of what happened when the work elephants somehow went on a stampede one year in Atlanta. The men got them all rounded up fairly quickly, except for Judy, who managed to "cut a twelve-mile path of terror and destruction" before she was caught. Let Doc tell the rest:
"I heard that the local police department was phoned by a slightly hysterical female voice that said: 'There is a very strange animal. I never saw anything like it before and he is in my yard and I want you to come and get him.'
"What kind of an animal is it?' asked the officer.
'I've no idea,' said the woman. 'Something I have never seen anything like before!'
'Well, what'a he doing in your yard? asked the officer.
'He is uprooting all my flowers with his tail.'
'And then' said the officer, 'what does he do?'
'Oh. . . , said the woman, 'I'm afraid I can't tell you that!"
True or not, this little scene gave me the giggles.
Overall I was happy with the book, and the pictures were nice too. It will be a nice addition to my 'vet books' collection. The only thing that threw me for a loop was something that came up in the very last pages, where Doc told about an operation he performed on a cheetah that somehow (no details given here) broke both her hind legs. He described the big cat as "six weeks out of the jungles of India".
???!!!
I checked wiki just in case there were cheetahs in India without my knowing about it during my 60 years of life, but the only place they are besides Africa is Iran, and they are quite rare there, so hopefully the person Doc was telling these stories to just misheard and didn't check on his facts.
Anyway, still a nice book and definitely a slice of history, since never again will any circus be the same as they were in Doc Henderson's day.
September 20, 2008
An amazing find! This is the story of the veterinarian that traveled with Ringling Bros. during the 1940s. Finally, a circus book that actually goes into details of the animal side of things, describing all the different techniques this ambitious country vet employed in figuring out how to treat some 200 horses and 500 other wild animals within the craziness that is traveling circus. I love his attitude, his dedication, and his style.
March 20, 2015
I loved this book. After I'd read all of James Herriot books I came across this one (I think it was in an amazon search -you know, 'you might also like..... ' and I did! I thought it was really fascinating.
July 3, 2024
this man loved horses
November 18, 2023
The life of a circus doctor was quite interesting. I felt the author was too focused on the positive side of things; I am amazed at how he took things lightly. Maybe, people back then were stronger psychologically than us now?!
Even though, the circus was providing the utmost care for animals, I felt sorry for them. Not only do they have to live in captivity but they also have to perform for people; some of the animals getting stage fright ailments to getting sick from traveling from a place to another.
I wanted to know more about the lives of the human performers. How did leading such a life affect them?
Even though, the circus was providing the utmost care for animals, I felt sorry for them. Not only do they have to live in captivity but they also have to perform for people; some of the animals getting stage fright ailments to getting sick from traveling from a place to another.
I wanted to know more about the lives of the human performers. How did leading such a life affect them?
October 11, 2017
Written in 1951, you have to be a fan of the good old days of the circus to enjoy.
May 8, 2022
An early companion to television series The Incredible Doctor Poll and Dr. Jeff Vet this book is a must-read to any fan.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews