NCERT Solutions Class 11 Snapshots Chapter-7 Birth
Class 11 (Snapshots)
exercise questions and answers
Chapter-7 (Birth)
By A.J. Cronin
Page No: 70
1. “I have done something; oh, God! I've done something real at last.” Why does Andrew say this? What does it mean?
Answer
Andrew, the protagonist of the story Birth, utters these words as he is able to bring a still born child back to life which seemed impossible in the beginning. The child is born still to the wife of Joe Morgan. But after feverish efforts Andrew is able to bring the child back to the life. He utters these words out of deep satisfaction on achieving the seemingly impossible task. It means that Andrew has been able to do something wonderful. He has been able to apply whatever he learnt in the medical textbooks and even beyond that. It is really a great achievement for Andrew. The above words mean that a doctor is a medium through which God or Almighty grants life to the patients. Andrew acknowledges this fact in the above quoted words.
2. There lies a great difference between text book medicine and the world of practising physician. Discuss.
Answer
There lies a great difference between text book medicine and the world of practising physician. Text book medicine is purely a Science whereas treating a patient is an art. The world of practising physician requires a different set of skills and knowledge. Text book medicine no doubt provides the conceptual framework for treatment but no doctor can treat a patient without the use of his or her intuitive practices. In the story Birth the way Andrew brings back life in the still born child is a testimony to this fact. The nurse at first dumps the child thinking it to be dead. But Andrews takes a chance and the miracle happens. He in the beginning applies his text book knowledge but the child does not recover. He doesn’t lose heart. He applies his own method and the miracle then happened. Treatment is Science and beyond. It is both a science and an art. The story Birth is a realistic fiction. In other words, the elements of the story has been taken from real life experiences and woven in the fabric of fiction.
