Transcript

Bhí dochtúr óg fadó ann agus seandochtúr. Tháinig glaoch ar an seandochtúr go rabh bean tinn ar an mbaile. Chuaigh an seandochtúr agus an dochtúr óg go dtí an áit a rabh an bhean tinn.

"Tá tú go han-dona," a deir an seandochtúr.

"Táim, go deimhin," a deir an bhean, "mé go han-dona tinn."

"D'ith tú oistrí," deir an dochtúr.

"Ó, d'itheas go siúráilte," a deir sise.

"Bhuel, ná hith aríst iad," deir seisean, "nó go dtuga mise ordú dhuit ar chuma ar bith."

"Déanfad sin," a deir an bhean.

D'imigh an dochtúr óg amach ansin agus an seandochtúr. Nuair a chuadar amach ar an tsráid, "Nach maith a bhí a fhios agad," a deir an dochtúr óg, "gur ith an bhean sin oistrí?"

"Mar chonaic mé na sliogáin faoin leaba," a deir an seandochtúr.

Faoi cheann dá lá ina dhiaidh tháinig glaoch ar an dochtúr óg arís go rabh fear tinn. Chuaigh an dochtúr óg ag breathnú air. Agus nuair a chuaigh is é an chéad áit a dtug sé súil isteach faoin leaba agus chonaic sé diallait capall leagthaí istigh faoin leaba.

"Tá tú go han-dona," a deir sé leis an bhfear a bhí tinn.

"Ó, táim," a deir an fear.

"Ó," a deir sé, "d'ith tú capall."

"Go deimhin, níor itheas, muise," a deir an fear. "Is beag an baol a bhí orm," a deir sé. "Ach níl aon mhaith leatsa i do dhochtúr ar chor ar bith!"

Translation

Long ago there was a young doctor and an old doctor. A call came for the old doctor that a woman was sick in the village. The old doctor and the young doctor went to where the sick woman was.

"You're very bad," said the old doctor.

"I am, indeed," said the woman, "I'm very very sick."

"You ate oysters," said the doctor.

"Oh, I most certainly did," she said.

"Well, don't eat them again," said he, "or until I tell you otherwise at any rate."

"I won't," said the woman.

The young doctor went out then with the old doctor. When they went out onto the street, "How on earth did you know," said the young doctor, "that that woman ate oysters?"

"Because I saw the shells under the bed," said the old doctor.

Two days after that a call came to the young doctor that a man was sick. The young doctor went to have a look at him. And when he did, the first place he glanced was under the bed and he saw a horse's saddle placed in under the bed.

"You're very bad," he said to the sick man.

"Oh, I am," said the man.

"Oh," he said, "you ate a horse."

"Well, I certainly did not," said the man. "I was hardly likely to," he said. "You're no good at all as a doctor!"

Commentary

This humorous story is an example of an international folktale, ATU 1862C Diagnosis by observation. It was first recorded in the twelfth century in Arabia, and was further recorded in Europe in the fifteenth century. It is currently known all over Europe, and has been recorded in the U.S. and South Africa. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). The story is relatively common in Ireland and has been recorded in all four provinces. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). It is further categorised as an international folk motif, J2412.4 Imitation of diagnosis by observation: ass’s flesh. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).