A British Vet in Africa

 

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.