Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

by

Jean Lee Latham

Dr. Holyoke is a well-established and well-respected Salem physician who, along with the Reverend Dr. Prince, becomes a founding member of the Salem Philosophical Library when he contributes to the purchase of a treasure trove of scientific books from Dr. Stearns. He visits Nat and Polly regularly and remains an active member of the community into his older years.

Dr. Holyoke Quotes in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

The Carry On, Mr. Bowditch quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Holyoke or refer to Dr. Holyoke . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Hard Work, Perseverance, and Success Theme Icon
).
Chapter 22: Science and Sumatra Quotes

“He speaks for a lot of men, Polly. I’m not saying that there are many as mean-spirited as he is—thank heaven. But there are hundreds—thousands—who don’t believe in ‘book sailing.’ You know, seafaring is a lot like medicine. On the one hand—superstition and old wives’ tales; on the other hand—the scientist, trying to solve puzzles and find the answers. And all through the ages men have believed the superstitions and doubted the scientist. Natural, I suppose. You believe what you grow up believing. It’s hard to change.”

“You can’t remember, Polly, when we first started inoculating for smallpox.” He shook his head. “Wonder to me I wasn’t lynched. Inoculation was risky—but not as bad as the epidemics of the smallpox. Then vaccination came along. It was safer, but people raised almost as much fuss.”

Related Characters: Dr. Holyoke (speaker), Nat Bowditch, Polly Ingersoll
Page Number: 217-218
Explanation and Analysis:
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Dr. Holyoke Quotes in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

The Carry On, Mr. Bowditch quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Holyoke or refer to Dr. Holyoke . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Hard Work, Perseverance, and Success Theme Icon
).
Chapter 22: Science and Sumatra Quotes

“He speaks for a lot of men, Polly. I’m not saying that there are many as mean-spirited as he is—thank heaven. But there are hundreds—thousands—who don’t believe in ‘book sailing.’ You know, seafaring is a lot like medicine. On the one hand—superstition and old wives’ tales; on the other hand—the scientist, trying to solve puzzles and find the answers. And all through the ages men have believed the superstitions and doubted the scientist. Natural, I suppose. You believe what you grow up believing. It’s hard to change.”

“You can’t remember, Polly, when we first started inoculating for smallpox.” He shook his head. “Wonder to me I wasn’t lynched. Inoculation was risky—but not as bad as the epidemics of the smallpox. Then vaccination came along. It was safer, but people raised almost as much fuss.”

Related Characters: Dr. Holyoke (speaker), Nat Bowditch, Polly Ingersoll
Page Number: 217-218
Explanation and Analysis: