Listen to grandmother

They were the two daughters of a couple originally from Pakistan. Their parents had taken them for a visit of several months to see their homeland and renew family ties. On the day after their return to Britain, I was asked to see them because both were feverish and unwell. Their grandmother, who had come back with them, sat in the corner of the room. It was a hot sunny day, and the curtains were drawn for coolness. The grandmother wore a white garment that almost completely covered her.

Both children had bronchitis. I gave a prescription for antibiotics and asked that they be brought to the surgery in a week's time. …