Doctor Rat

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The academic scholarship on the novel shifts descriptors (SF, fantasy, etc) depending on the perspective and purposes of the scholar. He’s sensitive chap and it was his exquisite sensitivity that caused him to dream up the item that’s become the latest rage here at the lab: the fabulous removal of the eggs from a female rat’s body—to the tail, to the ear, to the stomach. I first saw Dr Ratnavel over 20 years ago for mole removal, and my daughter has seen him for acne – his treatment was the only one which worked for her! The combination of visceral scenes of brazen animal torture with lashings of black-comedy made for an altogether gut-twisting and chillingly guilt-inducing read.

But past the first half of the book (and along the way I contemplated on discontinuing the read because of the seemingly haphazard plot and writing), a bigger, deceptively hopeful but ultimately stark picture emerges.We were lucky not to lose tamoxifen which causes liver tumours in rats; and Gleevec causes liver damage in dogs. Ratnavel's professionalism, empathy, and dedicated approach make him a standout in the field of dermatology, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone seeking expert dermatological care. Still, I could see this book being enjoyed today by animal lovers of all kinds--so long as they can get past some of the painstakingly vivid descriptions of torture and slaughter that befall many of the animals. The story then transitions to a very different tone as we are told from various other animal perspectives of a revolt by the entire Animal Kingdom against man, with graphic and doomed results. It takes an admittedly twisted wit to see the dark humor in this material, but that's part of why I have such an enduring fondness for the book.

The randomness, the flaws and the madness contained within these pages made for a love-hate reading experience. It won the World Fantasy award and a science fiction novel that took on animal rights as a subject could be bold and provocative reading.In this story, a race with the power to resurrect the dead wander the universe looking for a species worthy of resurrection. Doctor Rat is able to perceive that the images of rebellion stretch beyond the walls of the lab encouraging other dogs to join in—“Great Naked Mole Rats! A new edition of the bestselling picture book, The Highway Rat, by superstar duo Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. In fact, we have twenty-three blind rats, part of a magnificent new experiment initiated by a very ambitious student, who I’m featuring in this month’s Newsletter.

Some of the other stories I read can be as violent, but Kotzwinkle‘s writing dug his claws of horror and despair into my brain. All of the lab-animals are anthropomorphicized, like a Disney film created by sick maniacs on datura. Regardless of Doctor Rat’s animated shouts declaring “Death is freedom” a revolution is slowly forming. But the heaved burden of the novel, so irritatingly easy to dodge, is that animals are beautiful (not dumb; they all talk or think here, talk or think like people) and humans hideous with lipsmacking sadism. Item exactly as described, shipped with extremely careful packaging to protect it, they even included an extra item, I'm delighted and then some.

The novel focuses upon laboratory rats whose spokesman, the Doctor Rat of the title, eventually escapes from the vast laboratory where experiments on his fellow-creatures are taking place, and whose adventures are interwoven with shorter tales told by animals of different kinds who finally try to form a whole that will make humans more peaceful and benign. Remember, if you feel ill and you need immediate assistance consult a medical professional immediately or phone 999. Dr Ratnavel runs a busy clinical practice, working privately with colleagues in a multi-disciplinary setting, offering a comprehensive medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology service for patients of all ages.