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Private Notes
Meg McBain, the stock-breeder's wife, gives birth to a son. But who is the father? Is it McBain, or could it be the carefree Irish tinker Tim O'Shea?
The 'dirty Fergusons' live like pigs and seem happy to do so. But by doing so they offend against Alan Finlay's strict sense of sanitary propriety. On the other hand Mrs. Elgin and her aged sister live in an atmosphere of pathological cleanliness, and they become Dr. Cameron's reluctant concern.
Dr. Cameron is concerned at the sudden increase in the number of women coming to the surgery with serious diseases. Soon he begins to wonder if a newcomer to Tannochbrae could have anything to do with it. With the aid of Janet and Dr. Finlay he sets out to investigate.
Young Elsie comes out in spots, and for Alan Finlay the root cause is quite clear. It must be the unsatisfactory emotional atmosphere in Elsie's family. Dr. Cameron disagrees, insisting it is something she ate. But whatever their cause these little red marks look like putting a severe strain on the partnership.
To the grocers of Tannochbrae George Harris is simply a commercial traveller who sells biscuits. But to Debbie Wilson he is an unpleasant reminder of the past. When she tries to commit suicide Dr. Cameron, with the help of Janet, tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Harris.
It's Hogmanay in Tannochbrae. The two doctors at Arden House are busy and have also taken over Dr. Snoddie's practice while the latter is away visiting his sister. Dr. Finlay is called in by Robert Ferguson, one of Snoddie's wealthiest patients, who has been taken ill at his family's annual New Year gathering.
Braeside is Tannochbrae's most select residential hotel for elderly gentlefolk. The unexpected arrival of Colonel Cayley, former Indian administrator, threatens to upset the whole delicate social balance of the hotel.
When Denny Drummond loses his eyesight in a rock-blasting accident it appears that the local quarry company is to blame. His mother and father start legal proceedings to claim damages. Then Dr. Finlay discovers something that could alter the outcome of the case... if he tells the whole truth.
Dr. Cameron is called out urgently to find his patient, Roderick McDougall, unconscious on the floor. He is baffled as to the cause. One curious aspect of the case is that McDougall seems to fall ill only on Tuesdays. Eventually Cameron thinks he has solved the puzzle, but as he proceeds with the case he finds himself in conflict not only with Dr. Snoddie, but with his partner Dr. Finlay as well.
Tannochbrae's librarian, Thomas Fordyce, has problems of a very personal nature, complicated by an assistant at the library who tipples and a wife who is a member of the Standfast Brethren.
Urged on by Dr. Cameron, Dr. Finlay joins the golf club and meets a club member whose chronic hypochondria is matched only by his anxiety for free medical advice.
Local tenant farmer Graham Mackenzie, once considered to be an intelligent and pleasant man, has now taken to drink, to the obvious distress of his wife Nan.
Ben Hogan, out of work for a very long time, is offered a job as a sparring partner in a fairground boxing booth - much to Alan Finlay's disapproval, for the doctor has strong views about this sport.
When a baby is abandoned outside Arden House it provokes typically different reactions in the household. For Janet the poor wee mite is an unexpected guest; for Dr. Cameron it is something of a nuisance and for Dr. Finlay it is a problem demanding a solution.
As it is elsewhere in Scotland in the 1920's, the war between the 'wets' and the 'drys' is a hard-fought affair. The local leader of the 'wets' is Dougie Mumford, a tough veteran of the Black Watch: the 'drys' are led by doughty little widow Annie Feenan. When she comes into the local pub selling 'War Cry' the insults begin to fly.
Doctors Finlay and Cameron are not burying their heads in the sand when it comes to new techniques, but they reserve their enthusiasm over the success of a certain Dr. Stephens. They have good reasons to make them sceptical and suspicious.
A suspected case of salmonella leads Dr. Snoddie, as local Medical Officer of Health, to seal up a well used by a number of local residents. Dr. Finlay protests at the delay in clearing and reopening the well. But when distinguished specialist Sir James Greig visits Arden House for dinner and is struck down by a severe attack of food poisoning the search for the answer to the problem is widened considerably.
Dr. Finlay is sorely troubled by a situation that runs out of control. Two boys inquisitively exploring his car, the disappearance of an opthalmoscope - and Finlay finds himself powerless to stop an apparently cruel legal process.
