James Herriot

I have long held the notion that if a vet can't catch his patient there's nothing much to worry about.

From his 1974 book, Vet in Harness.  James Alfred Wright (who wrote under the pen name "James Herriot") was born of this date in 1916.  After serving in the Royal Air Force in World War II, Wright practiced veterinary medicine in Thirsk, a small market town in Yorkshire, England.  He didn't write his first book until he was 53, but his semi-autobiographical books -- which included All Things Bright and Beautiful and All Creatures Great and Small -- were beloved by millions of readers.

James Alfred Wright