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brought cases of medicine and were able to control the problem but later they soon slipped back into their bad ways.

One memorial occasion happened when one of the nurses called Maggie found her grumbling Appendix became suddenly worse probably because her dose of Dysentery inflamed the area. We had found a lovely camp site overlooking the North coast with perfect beach and rocky cliffs, we had decided to stay put for a few days. So Andrew and John, decided to open her up to see if she needed her Appendix removed.

The operating theatre decide on was a small clearing of level grass surrounded by a low thicket As I was the only one who had brought a tent I was asked to use four of my tent poles to support a white table cloth to form a sun scene over the LiLo bed which was prepared for poor Maggie. I was given the job of holding a disinfectant spray over the patient and was told how to use the pump of the spray. Someone was to look after the bowl of anaesthetic on this site we had plenty of water so I had already boiled up two large saucepans full and the doctors had boiled up their instruments ready for the operation!

Myself I was very concerned about the whole idea of doing such an operation under such conditions, true that day there were few flies about but some of us were still off colours with the after effects of our stomach infections but the doctors would not dream of letting Maggie go to a Spanish hospital such an idea was out the question Spanish Doctors are rubbish! I had learnt one did not argue with John and Matthew so went along with this mad operation.

First the two doctors surrounded the area of the incision with clean handkerchiefs and I was told to lightly spray the area and one of the nurses cleaned up the area and shaved off any body hairs she could see. Then Joe and Andrew got into an argument of what type of incision to make they marked poor Maggie’s stomach until it was covered in lines these were then wiped away and it appeared John had won the toss making a signal line at least 12” long! They then gave her an injection and the bowl of anaesthetic was used to get her asleep. I started my spray again. Joe made his long incision which bled very little and where it did Mathew put a number of clips I sprayed harder to give a cloud all around for everything was open and exposed. Joe put his hand and part of his arm under the incision and started to feel about announcing to all Maggie had an enlarged “something” just what I cannot say for I am unaware of these medical terms but Andrew disagreed and he did the same feeling around inside until he said “don’t you know what a ?????? is? and they started to argue again! One of the other doctors joined in and also had a look. I never knew what they were refereeing too moments later so quick I almost missed seeing it they cut off the infected appendix wiped all about and had a clip in place. Matthew then quickly sewed it up the intestine and clipping up the original incision where upon they all left seemed to disappear leaving me spraying. Nothing further happened for about ten minutes and I called Stan over to ask what was happening. He had no idea so went to find them returning a few minutes later saying they were all sitting in the shade behind our Bus with bottles of wine and what sounded like a party starting up! He had asked them what about Maggie? They said she was alright leave her alone!. I asked Stan to remind them I was still manning the spray and that Maggie still had an open wound! The reply was “Stop fussing! We are just having a break and will be with me in a minute” That worked out more than fifteen minutes and alpart from worry I was getting really tired. Two nurses turned up to prepared Maggie they threaded a needle and Joe came along and took over he sewed Maggie up so

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