Cigarette ash in the fish and chips? This vet did much worse
READING Emma Brennan “Harking Back” in The Press recently she recounted the fish and chip shop owner who had a permanent cigarette hanging from his mouth with an inch long ash hanging on at the end which fell into the chips no doubt.
It reminded me of my early days aged 18 at The Veterinary Drug Co, 129, Lawrence Street, where I delivered to veterinary practices all over the North of England.
At one practice in West Yorkshire, basically in the front room of the house, the vet and his nurse had a dog on his operating table.
The vet had a cigarette in his mouth, one of those glued to the corner, with a long wedge of ash hanging off the end which, as he talked to me dropped off into the open surgical wound of the dog.
I must have been brave, and I challenged him about the ash dropping. “No problem,” he said, adding it was “sterile” having been red hot at the end of his cigarette.
Having just my attained GCE Chemistry a year or so previously I noticed the anaesthetic being used was ether, again I mentioned that ether was quite inflammable and smoking was possibly not the best idea, particularly as there was no extraction fan in his front room.
He put up a suitable argument that as he was still here on planet earth, and that my knowledge of chemistry was irrelevant. I visited him for many years after and the roof was still on the house so luck was on his side.
Stuart Wilson,
Vesper Drive,
York
Police killers should face life in jail
THE police federation is objecting to any early release of anyone involved in the death/murder of any police officer and I'm in complete agreement with them.
Anyone who kills a member of the emergency services should be put in prison for life, without any release whatsoever.
But my thoughts go out to the families of anyone murdered.
A murder is a murder – justice should be for everyone.
I think the wording on the sentencing for criminals is basically wrong.
Rather than being able to potentially serve half of a sentence, they should be given the fixed time they are expected to serve, extended dependant on their behaviour while in prison.
It would give the public a true idea of the sentence.
D M Deamer,
Penleys Grove Street,
Monkgate,
York
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