“A General Practitioner,” or All for Mercy’s Sake

As long ago as in the issue of this Journal for Oct. 13,1894, the promising merits of Ian Maclaren, the now popular story-teller, were recognized. We there spoke of Maclaren ’s “A General Practitioner,” as “a classic of its kind,” although it was far from being in classic dress at that time; it was then to be found only in a penny paper of London, called the British Weekly. Since that time, the features of the Highland country doctor, Dr. Weelum MacLure, have been made known all the world round in the “Bonnie Brier Bush” stories. And his physiognomy is everywhere recognized as that of one of the sturdiest and noblest medical characters that have ever appeared in fiction. If there is anywhere in fiction a more worthy, admirable and attractive personag e than Dr. MacLure of Drumtochty, we will be thankful to have him pointed out to us. As his portrait has not, so far as we know, been seen in any medical gallery, we will here give space to a sketch taken from the earliest publication by Maclaren:
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research