Dr. Finlay's Casebook: Omnibus

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A chronic duodenal ulcer prompted a career switch and he began writing books, TV and film scripts, including the Oscar-nominated The Citadel. Cronin wrote two collections of stories which are recorded here together: Adventures of a Black Bag and Dr Finlay of Tannochbrae. Essential viewing then it was based on the tales of AJ Cronin, himself a qualified doctor and an accomplished author. Bill Simpson, Andrew Cruickshank, Barbara Mullen, Patrick Troughton, Richard Wilson, Bryan Marshall, Eric Woodburn, Fulton Mackay, Brian Pettifer, Patrick Magee and Bruce Seton.

J. Cronin is a fictional account of a small-town Scottish doctor and his adventures caring for his patients during the 1920’s. The transliteration of the local Scottish accent is charmingly done and easy enough for British people to understand, although other English speakers may struggle a little. This was followed by two series of Dr Finlay: Further Adventures of a Black Bag in 2002 and 2003, with Sinclair and Pettifer joined by Celia Imrie as Janet and Stella Gonet as Nurse Angus.

On the whole, there are some charming stories in this book that make it very readable - ideal for a light, entertaining read. Set in and around the fictional Scottish town of Levenford and village of Tannochbrae during the inter-war years, the stories found here are heart-warming, funny and touching, full of fascinating characters and unforgettable encounters. The use of Scots language is more common than in the TV series (for obvious reasons) but it is still not very common. Unfortunately few have heard of him these days but further essential reads would be ‘The Stars Look Down’ and ‘The Citadel’.

I picked this up from the Mobile Library Can back in February to listen to on my commutes to and from work, then the world changed. Overly sentimental, inconsistent (Finlay's loves seems to completely change their personalities and appendicitis is known about and then unknown) and sexism. The team encounter a suspicious car crash, an outbreak of the measles, a soldier in need of an amputation, a local dog infested with rabies – and Doctor Finlay tries his hand at hypnosis. Alternatively, the main character will be someone who is suffering unnecessarily, and Dr Finlay will help them to overcome their affliction.In 1916 he served as a surgeon sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy Volunteers Reserve, and at the war's end he completed his medical studies and practiced in South Wales. Whenever the dilemma results from Finlay's own failings, the blame is miraculously transferred to a one-dimensional secondary character who is appropriately punished, while Finlay is celebrated as a hero. A lot of the "human interest" of his stories would have come not just from his own experiences but also those of his paternal grandparents, who ran a pub in the district, and from his mother - who was Scotland's first female public health inspector!