A review of And Miles to Go Before I Sleep – A British
Vet in Africa by Hugh Cran, Merlin
Unwin Books, Ludlow, UK, 2007
This is an intriguing memoir by a British veterinarian who
practiced in Kenya in the 60s and 70s. Think - All Creatures Great and Small set in
Africa. Author Cran moved to Nakuru in
central Kenya in 1964 where he was employed as a poorly paid vet in a private
practice. After several years he inherited the practice. He dealt about half and half with big farm
animals – cows and horses – and small critters, largely dogs. Most every
intervention generated a story – cows had trouble calving, horses were susceptible
to tropical aliments, dogs were bitten by snakes and on and on. Cran also
treated wild animals from time to time, zebras, antelope and even a couple of
lions. The bulk of the memoir relates
the trials and tribulations of such a life in often amusing - sometimes excruciating - detail. I learned a lot about cow entrails.
However, the value of the book lies in the authors vivid
descriptions of Kenya’s inhabitants - the still ensconced, often quirky,
European farmers contrasted with traditional tribal cattlemen, plus the new
group of more modern Kenyans who were then taking possession of formerly owned
European farms and ranches. Such new
owners included President Jomo Kenyatta. Cran noted the passing of a European
way of life as the million-acre settlement scheme and other buyouts occurred.
As a veterinarian he was called upon to certify the health of cattle when such
buyouts occurred. His reporting of attitudes about land transfers add depth to
understanding of what went on. In
addition to frankly depicting his European and African clients, Cran did not
hesitate to caricature Asian owners of fierce watchdogs. Apparently, Cran dealt with no normal people.
He did, however, find the eccentricities and personalities of his clients to be
either endearing or maddening - and was quick to say so.
Part of each encounter reported in the book involved travel
from Nakuru town to outlying farms and ranches, some more than a hundred miles
away. Almost always this entailed
driving over terrible roads and tracks that were dusty, rocky, potholed or,
during the rainy seasons, seas of mud.
Since I was nearby in rural Kenya during part of Cran’s tenure, I
sympathize with the frustrations and the breakdowns that such driving
created. But I also enjoyed Cran’s sense
of adventure in his travels and his appreciation of the spectacular scenery and
vistas that the Great Rift Valley displays.
Finally, in a digression about mountain climbing, Cran
recounted his assent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in 1967. He and cronies went up the
Marangu route from Tanzania. That is the exact same route I used in climbing
Killy two years later. Cran’s description of the climb was perfect. Sometime later Cran joined an expedition into
the Ruwenzori mountains in Uganda. His
team made it into the central peaks and climbed several of them, including Mt
Stanley, the highest. I too once participated
in a Ruwenzori expedition to climb Mt. Stanley. Our routes were the same and the huts and
features and fauna Cran described from his sojourn were exactly those I found
in 1990.
This book is a bit heavy on veterinary matters, but it was
written by a vet. The Kenya setting is what makes it shine. Folks who know
Kenya, especially during the time covered will find this interesting.
