The doctor, &c., vol. 1 (of 7)

In Short

A sprawling, highly digressive nineteenth-century narrative that presents itself as the biography of a country physician, Daniel Dove of Doncaster. Rather than pushing forward a conventional plot, the narrative meanders through family lineage, rustic folklore, reflections on order, local history, and literary oddities. Rooted in the quiet rhythms of Yorkshire, it pairs a warm picture of domestic life with an immense, eccentric store of erudition. It endures as a celebrated, idiosyncratic curiosity of English prose—a book that delights in its own whimsical detours, celebrate intellectual play, and invites the reader to sit back and enjoy the ride.

The Story

The narrative opens with a theatrical flourish of prelude mottoes and whimsical declarations. Sitting over punch after a heavy thunderstorm on a summer evening in 1813, the narrator recalls telling his neighbor, the Bhow Begum, that the life story of the Doctor and his horse ought to be recorded in a book. Encouraged by her agreement—and after a lighthearted battle over dedicated tomfoolery and broken reticule clasps—he sets out to write an all-encompassing chronicle.

Rather than marching straight ahead, the text moves backward and sideways, establishing early on that this history will include not only the Doctor, but everything else under the sun. It eventually grounds itself in the year 1723 with the birth and rural upbringing of young Daniel Dove in Ingleton. Daniel's father, the elder Daniel, is a thoughtful, quiet man who possesses a modest but thoroughly absorbed library. The household lives simply, without the modern luxuries of tea, sugar, or cotton garments, surrounded by traditional English countryside habits and domestic remedies.

The narrative lingers affectionately on the boy's upbringing. Young Daniel is exposed to local folklore, rustic charms, and the wisdom of his father. When the boy asks if he might steal five beans to charm away his warts—a remedy suggested by his Uncle William—his father gently corrects him, explaining that true wisdom and lawful remedies never begin with doing harm to others, suggesting instead the harmless fantasy of washing hands in silver-basin moonshine. The elder Daniel encourages his son to pursue knowledge for the happiness found along the way, bestowing a blessing that shapes the boy's character forever.

As Daniel grows, his intellectual appetite expands. Supported by his father and influenced by local figures like the quack physician Dr. Green, who built a fortune mixing coarse showmanship with genuine Boerhaave-trained medical skill, Daniel develops a wide, catholic taste for literature and practical science. The narrative takes vast, entertaining detours: analyzing the essential nature of order versus chaotic books, recounting the history of church bells like those of St. George's in Doncaster, reflecting on schoolboy educations, and examining family lineages.

Eventually, the narrative brings Daniel toward his professional calling. He travels to Doncaster to serve as an apprentice under the established medical practitioner Peter Hopkins and his wife. The town itself, its society, its bells, and its atmosphere form a rich backdrop for Daniel's medical education and eventual attainment of his diploma. Though the narrator teases the joyful future morning in 1761 when the Doncaster bells will chime for Daniel bringing home his bride, Deborah, this first volume pauses just as Daniel prepares to navigate his formative years of instruction in Doncaster society.

How It Unfolds

The storm and the spark After a summer thunderstorm in 1813, the narrator sits over punch with the Bhow Begum and declares that the tale of the Doctor must be written. They banter over reticules, dedicated manuscripts, and the nature of literary order before setting the stage.

Roots in Ingleton The story turns back to 1723 to trace the origins of Daniel Dove, born into a modest, traditional Yorkshire family. The elder Daniel guides his son with quiet, grounded moral lessons, steering him away from dishonest folklore charms.

The growth of a mind Young Daniel develops a vast, unfastidious appetite for reading and observation, fed by his father's small but well-thumbed library. The text detours through reflections on classical education, printing types, quack doctors, and local traditions.

Arrival at Doncaster Daniel steps out into the wider world to study medicine under Dr. Peter Hopkins. The narrative settles into the setting of Doncaster, detailing its local history and church bells while setting the stage for Daniel's medical apprenticeship and future romance.

The People

• Daniel Dove (the Son): The central figure, raised in rural Ingleton, who possesses a curious mind and an appetite for learning. Guided by his father's simple morality, he grows up to pursue medicine in Doncaster, eventually marrying Deborah.
• Daniel Dove (the Father): A thoughtful Yorkshire yeoman who values solid books over large libraries. He lives a quiet, contented life, guiding his son with gentle wisdom, integrity, and a deep sense of paternal affection.
• The Bhow Begum: The narrator's lively neighbor and dinner companion whose conversation over punch and snuff-taking inspires the creation of the book, and to whom the work is eventually dedicated.
• Dr. Green: An eccentric, shrewd travelling physician who combines coarse showmanship and theatrical humor with genuine medical knowledge, accumulating a fortune while treating the populace.
• Peter Hopkins: The Doncaster medical man under whose guidance young Daniel receives his professional training and instruction in the healing arts.

In Its Own Voice

"If you are so bold as to venture a blowing-up, look closely to it! for the plot lies deadly deep, and 'twill be between your legs before you be aware of it."

A warning from the opening prelude of mottoes, setting a playfully chaotic tone for the reader.

"It ought to be written in a Book!"

The sudden spark of inspiration spoken over punch after a summer thunderstorm, launching the entire chronicle.

"Order is the sanity of the mind, the health of the body, the peace of the city, the security of the state."

An exuberant defense of structure amidst a narrative that deliberately revels in chaotic detours.

What It's Really About

Beneath its playful digressions, the book is a meditation on human curiosity, the nature of order, and the quiet value of an ordinary life well lived. It argues that a true lover of literature and life possesses a "catholic taste"—a healthy, robust appetite that winnows knowledge from every corner rather than adopting fastidious snobbery. Through the relationship between the elder and younger Daniel, it examines how character is formed not by rigid institutional schooling, but by gentle moral guidance, shared reading, and local traditions. By celebrating obscure books, town bells, and rustic superstitions alongside formal learning, it suggests that every humble family history holds as much instruction and human interest as the grand genealogies of nobility.

Why Read It Today

This volume is tailor-made for readers who cherish eccentric, rambling classic literature in the vein of Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy. Reading it feels like sitting by a fireplace with a brilliantly well-read, slightly mischievous host who cannot mention a town, a book, or a pair of spectacles without launching into a fascinating twenty-minute tangent.

The prose is rich, leisurely, and unhurried. It requires patience: plot-driven readers may find themselves frustrated by long discourses on church bell weights, Latin mottos, old herbal remedies, and 18th-century medical quacks. Yet its charm lies precisely in these detours. What stays with you is its profound warmth—a gentle, humorous celebration of small-town English life, family affection, and the sheer joy of reading widely without pretense. It is a comforting, cozy literary maze meant to be savored slowly.