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RAMBLINGS AND SOMETHING PERSONAL ...
BY DUGIE GEMMILL , PARKSIDE VETERINARY PRACTICE
In the world of physics , strain is the quantity of deformation in length , or volume or shape when an object is subjected to stress . The medical definition is an evolution of this , in that force is applied to a muscle or it is overused , and it subsequently stretches or fails and tears . These are physical changes . Strain can be regarded in a more abstract way too , on individuals , groups and even societies and countries . In this post-Brexit , post-Covid , post-World-Peace society we have fallen into , our resources and strength as individuals , groups and families are being stretched to near breaking .
Daily we witness an increase in acrimony and angst on the forecourts , streets and shops we visit . In Doctors clinics and supermarkets alike , there are now dire warnings of police action and prosecution for abuse of staff . I wonder why ? I shall avoid being politically divisive , remain impartial and merely mention that our parliament is populated by groups , who rather than set an example of probity and good behaviour , seem only to indulge their own agendas and have set truth to one side as a rather abstract concept . The horrors of one nation state invading another , the consequent soaring in our cost of living – all the unsavoury icing on the tasteless Covid pandemic cake we have been eating for two years – are stresses born from nightmares . However , does this need to bring about deformation of the shape of our character , or failure and damage to our society ?
“ This is indeed the strangest piece Dugie has written .” I fear is what our editors are thinking at this point . Perhaps an explanation is needed . For thirty-two years my life has been Parkside Veterinary Practice – literally man and boy , apprentice to the wonderful David Murdoch then skipper of the vessel alone . The emotional highs and lows , traumas and successes , stresses and strains , have forged who I am today . I am a veterinary surgeon , but in the main I have become a student of the human condition . My vocation is the care and welfare of animals , but my joy became to aid the people and families connected to them . If you do something long enough your DNA does change . I am sure of it .
I have been blessed to be blanketed by the friendship and trust of the clients of Parkside for so many years and to have been supported by a team , whose devotion to their vocation is matched only by their devotion to each other . Despite this protection even someone as stubborn and as thick-skinned as I could be stretched to a point close to breaking . Several clients know that my French wife and I were amongst those separated by the pandemic lockdowns and travel bans . Fifteen to eighteen months of separation is a sentence no one wishes to endure . The ability to fly once again and spend time together was a joy last summer . However , the sense of separation and of time and moments lost still grew . Thus , I decided to change the DNA of my life once again and ease away from the intensity of leading Parkside . In April , a thankfully temporary recurrence of a heart rhythm issue , served to underscore the need for change . I am fortunate that the protection of individuals is held highly in the ideals of our group , Medivet , and with their support and the support of the team at Parkside I have managed an adjustment .
For the moment I still enjoy a surgical role at Parkside – like Covid I will still be hanging around . The team at Parkside is talented , devoted and brimming with enthusiasm . The practice is a centre of excellence in the field of laparoscopic surgery , and as part of our continued growth and evolution we have begun a role training other veterinary surgeons in the techniques ! I shall be in the clinic for at least one week a month – more a block release than traditional part-time arrangement . Just as the staff , clients and pets of Parkside are never far from my mind or heart , I am never far from you all either .
Dugie is a graduate of Glasgow University and has worked at Parkside Veterinary Practice since 1990 and has been the Clinical Director for the last ten years . He has a keen interest in laparoscopic and orthopaedic surgery .
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