''Yes, I know it contravenes every rule in the book... lucky I threw that out years ago.'' Recently retired, Dr Sparrow reveals with refreshing candour and dark humour the most memorable experiences of his career as a rural GP on the Devon/Cornwall border. From sewing a patient's finger back on during a call-out, to the emergency countryside delivery inspired by James Herriot, to suddenly remembering the body left in the back of a Volvo, and a small oversight that blew up the local crematorium, Dr Sparrow spares no blushes. Dr Michael Sparrow charted an unconventional course from the immaturity and uncertainty of life as a medical student, through hospital jobs and a six-year spell in the Royal Air Force, to the immaturity and uncertainty of life as a rural GP. He lives on the Devon/Cornwall border, after retiring as the region's longest serving GP.