Claire thinks she’s figured out what’s wrong with Bobby in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 11
We get back to Claire in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 11. She’s in her element in her surgery, which involves figuring out what Bobby Higgins is suffering from.
She may have worked it out. She needs to do some tests first, and that’s going to involve Bobby doing one easy thing: pass stools. Of course, that’s not something he’s all that interested in doing, possibly because he thinks he’ll have to do it in front of her or he’s concerned what she’ll think of his stools.
There’s also the fact that he has piles. It’s not all that easy for him to do this just now. So, what’s wrong with him? I’ll get into that in the chapter breakdown.
I don’t really think this foreshadows all that much. It brings up a recurring theme about Lizzie, but that’s the main thing.
This chapter hasn’t been used in the Outlander TV series yet. I can’t tell whether it will or not. This will all depend on whether Bobby Higgins is going to be introduced in the show. I’ll get to my thoughts about that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 11.
Just the Outlander chapter
We start with Claire in her surgery. She’s explaining a little about blood to Bobby, as she discusses malaria and the parasites in the blood. This is something she’s treating Lizzie for, and she even tells Bobby that it’s Lizzie’s blood cells that she’s looking at.
Now she moves on to Bobby. She asks him about a rash that he may have seen before getting the fainting spells. When he confirms, she is sure that she has the diagnosis right. Bobby may have hookworms. She gets the diagnosis while looking at the parasites in Lizzie’s blood. That gets her thinking about other parasites.
Hookworms would certainly cause the fainting spells. She needs to look for the eggshells in his stools to confirm this.
The good news is that if he does have hookworms, Claire knows of a cure. She’ll be able to make something that would be poison to the hookworms but not poisonous for Bobby. That would get rid of the critters for good, and Bobby won’t have the fainting spells anymore.
He’s a shy young man, though. We learn he’s only 23 in this chapter, and in a previous chapter, we know he didn’t want to talk about his piles. It’s not surprising that he thinks living with the hookworms would be better than letting Claire look at his stools under a microscope.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
The chapter doesn’t foreshadow all that much. All that really comes up is the fact that Lizzie’s malaria attacks are never going away. Claire just needs to make sure she can manage them.
Right now, she’s working on other treatments. We know in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, she’s still treating Lizzie for the malaria attacks. This is going to be a constant thing for the young girl.
However, there is hope for Bobby. He’ll get treated and eventually, he’ll be able to settle at the Ridge and become a big help to Jamie.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
The chapter hasn’t been used in Outlander just yet. It’s not clear if it ever will.
Let’s just start with the fact that Lizzie’s malaria hasn’t come up yet. In the books, she was bitten by a mosquito after arriving in the colonies. This hasn’t come up in the show, so it’s unlikely to happen now. It doesn’t make sense to add it in unless the show is really struggling for drama.
The other bit involves Bobby Higgins. We have no confirmation that he’ll be part of the story yet. I would love for him to be, but as I’ve said in previous chapter breakdowns, I’m not sure it’s viable. It means bringing in another character. For the most part, Bobby’s storyline in the future could be handled by a character we’ve already come to know, like John Quincy Myers.
Don’t rule Bobby out just yet, but also don’t assume that he’ll be part of Outlander Season 6 or beyond.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 11? Let us know in the comments below.
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