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SOMERLED FERGUSSON: A TRIBUTE

By The Parliament
Contact the author via Chris Johnstone by e-mail at christopher.johnstone@ntlworld.com

Earlier this year, Somerled Fergusson passed away. He is sorely missed and it is note a cliché to say his like will not pass this way again. He was a good friend to hoolet and wrote over 30 articles for us. He was the son of a GP for Ardnamurchan. He was brought up on the land and enjoyed shooting as much as any man. He was a founding member of the RCGP and was active in its activities up to his death. He helped shape rural practice for many years. Many GPs owe their living to his hard work. In tribute to him, we are proud to reproduce two short pieces which encapsulate his hoolet writings.

TALES OF A GRANDFATHER

Foot and Mouth Disease

I have just read Jim Cox's sensitive and thought provoking short article in this month's issue of the BJGP. As Brigadier Birtwhistle said when one of his soldiers gave his impressions of the Cull, “That says it all”. Indeed it does, for Jim Cox has covered all the facts of this appalling tragedy in depth and long term with a singular human and humane touch. It is just the sort of presentation I would have expected of him.

I can empathise with all that he has written for my people have been farmers for generations with a sprinkling of bankers, ministers and doctors along the way (my father being one of them) and his comments bring back memories of a somewhat similar set of circumstances which befell my own family with devastating effects some 50 years ago.

My grandfather's estate included a dairy herd, which my youngest unclecontinued to run.

During the War, ammunition of various sorts was dispersed and dumped at the edges of many farm fields to the west of Stirling. After the War, orders were given to dump certain categories at sea and to burn the rest.

Unfortunately, some of the wrong material was burnt polluting the grazing on a number of farms and poisoning the cattle.

My uncle's herd's milk yield went down and he begged the Milk Marketing Board to revoke his licence but it would not do so as this would have forced the Government to accept liability, for at that stage it was denying all responsibility (?shades of Gulf War Syndrome, perhaps the MMB had been leant on?).

Eventually, when many of the herds had died, responsibility had to be accepted and order was given to plough up and “crop only” for three years, after which time the land was declared fit for stock and compensation offered.

My uncle and one or two others did not think that the land was yet fit for grazing and the only way to prove it was to replace the stock but to refuse to accept compensation pro tem.

My uncle went to Ireland and bought a replacement herd of the same quality as his own old herd, the bull costing over £4,000. It had to be high class stock otherwise any losses could have been attributed by the Government to inferior or unhealthy animals.

All went well for a few months then the new herd began to die off.

I was a young house officer in Stirling Royal Infirmary at the time and when I did get a few hours off one Sunday and visited the farm I found the whole family devastated and almost in tears.

After a further long period of the land lying fallow it was eventually cleaned and compensation paid but it never fully compensated for the years of hard work and careful breeding - how could it?

My uncle never went back to dairying. He had not the heart to start all over again.

He became a dealer, buying in, fattening, and selling on. As he said “Somerled, it's not farming, it's a living, but there is no pleasure in it.”

Even after all these years it brought the memories flooding back and that is why I was so glad to see Jim Cox's article. He said what needed to be said and in a way I could never have aspired to and I thank him for it.

Now it has been announced the smell from the cattle funeral pyres may be contaminating the milk with dioxins.

What's new? I only hope the Government will be more humane this time round.

Foot in Mouth Disease

During the Easter holidays, my son kindly drove me round to visit some old friends and relations and during the tour I called to see a cousin contemporary of my own who was in hospital. As she has been quite ill and the family had not been able to get much information about her I introduced myself to what I assumed was a house

Not being the immediate next of kin (though a very close one) I did not push the issue. Perhaps I should have done but I was so taken aback for I had been taught that if a relative asks about a patient you stood up and answered him and if the patient was not one of yours you called up the House Officer who was responsible.

I do not wish to be unfair, and apologise in advance if I seem so. On reflection, the young man may well have been tired, may well have been overworked, may well just have had a bad day (didn't we all at that stage?) but since communication is such a vital part of medical care I was left wondering and not for the first time, are we training the right people for the right jobs in the right ways?

It is ironic that 50 years ago I was a House Officer in that very hospital.

Somerled Fergusson

Other hoolet online articles by Somerled Fergusson can be found at:
hoolet online edition 40 - What Goes Around Comes Around
webextra - What Goes Around Comes Around
hoolet edition 38
hoolet edition 37 - The Fergusson Medical Centre - Beauly
hoolet edition 36 - Ian Dingwall Grant - Scotland's First President
hoolet edition 35
hoolet edition 34
hoolet edition 33
hoolet edition 32
hoolet edition 31
hoolet edition 30
hoolet edition 29
hoolet edition 28
hoolet edition 27

hoolet is the magazine of RCGP Scotland. It is supported intellectually, financially and emotionally by RCGP Scotland.

This issue maintained by Robert Hallam.