Unsaddled by snuff

With the typical irreverence of schoolboys, we nicknamed him Medicine Man, taking a cue from our obsession with comics of the Wild West. Doc...

With the typical irreverence of schoolboys, we nicknamed him Medicine Man, taking a cue from our obsession with comics of the Wild West. Doctor Nathan 8212; a big, balding man encased in baggy clothes 8212; was the medical officer of the tea estate near Munnar where I grew up in the 1950s. A registered medical practitioner of the old school, he kept us children fighting fit.

As Doc ran his stethoscope over one8217;s chest, one often got a whiff of the scented snuff with which he plugged his nostrils, with obvious relish, from time to time 8212; an addiction that sometimes led to bouts of explosive sneezing, much to the amusement of his younger patients.

Far from amusing, however, was his dreaded remedy for a poor appetite: two spoonfuls of undiluted castor oil which he gleefully forced down one8217;s throat, with an orderly pinioning one8217;s arms from behind. Unable to stomach the vile-tasting laxative, we often threw up. Our grimaces, Doc used to remark, would have been a photographer8217;s delight. Another abomination was cod liver oil 8212; equally unpalatable 8212; which he religiously prescribed for skinny children, much to their dismay.

On the other hand, we relished Doc8217;s delectable cough syrup so much that we often wished it did not cure us so quickly! Sometimes we even faked a cough in order to get an extra spoonful or two. Doc, however, was seldom fooled.

Another bugbear was the annual inoculation for cholera. The big syringes and needles used in those days were enough to make the bravest of hearts quail. Doc and his stern-faced nurse teamed up to administer the shots and, as we nervously awaited our turn, we often prayed that Doc would not take it out on us for christening him Medicine Man! He never did.

Once a companion accidentally swallowed a one-anna coin, sending ripples of anxiety through the family. Doc merely looked him over with an experienced eye and advised his mother to ply him with plantains 8212; a bonanza he welcomed. The next day the 8216;8216;stowaway8217;8217; was ejected naturally.

The day Doc acquired a horse to visit the estate8217;s far-flung housing colonies, we children gathered to see him start his riding lessons. As he was being helped into the saddle, someone asked him whether he had ridden a horse before. Beaming, Doc said he had, adding that it happened to be a rocking-horse!

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Then one day Doc8217;s horse returned home riderless and a search was launched for him. He was found limping back in great pain, swearing at his mount for having unceremoniously unsaddled him. No one could figure out why the horse had misbehaved. But a perceptive nine-year-old pointedly piped up, 8216;8216;Maybe it doesn8217;t like the smelly snuff he uses.8217;8217;