Repeat Prescription: Hilarious True Stories from a Country Practice

Country Doctor #2

by Michael Sparrow

'Being a doctor wasn't such a good idea, was it Daddy?' said Cressie, my daughter then aged four, regarding me solemnly across the kitchen table. And I had to admit she had a point...' Following on from the huge success of Country Doctor, Tales of a Rural GP, Dr Michael Sparrow transports us once more to his practice on the Devon/Cornwall border, and a daily round of the weird and wonderful. What would you do, if faced with the successful resuscitation of the wrong patient, and how would you cope with the ethical dilemma of a dying elderly lady who presents you with a supermarket bag crammed full of twenty-pound notes? In between, Dr Sparrow reminisces about his experiences at medical school, in junior doctoring and his stint as an RAF doctor. Weighty matters are discussed, such as how far should we progress down the road of genetic engineering, should euthanasia be legalised, and is constipation funny? Add to this a whole raft of asides that include fleeting glances at royal genitalia, grand car theft and a very unexpected appearance in the ladies loo at a multi-storey carpark, and you have all the ingredients for a realty hilarious read. General Practice should never be like this

Genres: Medical, Nonfiction

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2004

About the author

Rural GP and author Dr Michael Sparrow a long serving current GP in West Devon and East Cornwall - has also had some success with his tales of medical mayhem while serving as a doctor in the RAF, in hospitals and as a local GP.
Originally from Northamptonshire, Michael qualified in 1981 from St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. He joined the RAF and served as a medical officer at RAF Chivenor in North Devon, working with the search and rescue crews. A spell in South Wales was followed by a posting to Belize, in Central America.

Reviews

[Book_Worm_Jim.83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repeat Perscription

So, I clearly read the books out of order of writing and publication. However, I still very much enjoyed reading them. I feel the best stories were shared in the first book. Having personally worked within the NHS, I didn't find some of the stories or the shenanigans that occurred all that shocking.

As I said, I enjoyed the read but book one was better

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, books like this frustrate me. They claim to be personal non-fiction accounts, but include behaviours and interactions that, if real, would lead to the doctor being struck off. This sort of thing undermines trust in the profession.

However, as entertainment, if it were not in the non fiction section, it is a good story.

[Ellen Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part I enjoyed this book however some of the stories didn’t capture my attention enough. I haven’t read Dr Sparrow’s first book but I was hoping there would be more stories based around the village surgery than there was. I have read that Dr Sparrow has sadly passed away in recent years. My heart goes out to his family.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, probably more so to people in the medial profession.
I do think the best stories were used up in his first book Country Doctor, but still an enjoyable read, although slightly alarming what was acceptable by medical professionals only a few decades ago.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a blast from the past, as Dr Sparrow died earlier last year.
His GP stories are all set in places I know (yes the Lanson Multi-story is as described) but nearly 20 years ago now.
I wonder how much has really changed behind the scenes?

[Demi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, funny and interesting book. I’m a doctor so related with a lot of these points. However the book is quite racist at times and it’s clear it was written in a different generation when things like that were okay.

[fiona norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing but not as good as the first book

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much of RAF story in there which was covered in the first book but still ok none the less

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking of misbehavior....this was a Christmas present, and I was steeled for an idyllic account of English country practice with a kindly doc and quaint countrypeople. Was I wrong! Dr. Sparrow is a repeat offender with a dry, dry sense of humor who generally catches himself before descending into sentimentality. His account of dealing with casualty department overdoses is priceless. For the doctor who thinks she's become cynical--leave it to the professionals here. Bracing, occasionally brutal, and funny.

[Patricia Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny true stories of a British country doctor... Like James Herriot books but a bit more irreverent and with people as patients! This is his second book and makes me want to read his first one.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly light-hearted autobiography, with some funny stories. I didn't find it laugh-out-loud funny at any point, but it was enough to keep me reading, and it was nice to have a light, easy to read story for a change.