A Doctor of the Old School

by Ian Maclaren, Frederick C. Gordon (Illustrator)

A Doctor of the Old School is a novel written by Ian Maclaren. It was first published in 1894 and has since become a classic in English literature. The story is set in the Scottish countryside during the mid-19th century and follows the life of Dr. William MacLure, a dedicated and compassionate physician who serves the poor and needy in his community.Dr. MacLure is a man of great integrity and wisdom, and he is deeply respected by the people he serves. He is known for his unconventional methods of healing, which often involve a combination of medical knowledge and common sense. He is also a man of great faith, and his religious beliefs inform his work as a doctor.The novel explores the challenges and triumphs of Dr. MacLure's life as he navigates the complex social and political landscape of his time. He faces opposition from the medical establishment, who view his methods as unorthodox, and from the wealthy landowners who resent his efforts to improve the lives of the poor.Despite these challenges, Dr. MacLure remains steadfast in his commitment to his patients and his community. He is a symbol of hope and inspiration for those around him, and his legacy lives on long after his death.A Doctor of the Old School is a moving and inspiring novel that celebrates the power of compassion, faith, and perseverance in the face of adversity. It is a timeless work of literature that continues to resonate with readers today.1895. A General Practitioner; Through the Flood; A Fight with Death; The Doctor�������s Last Journey; and The Mourning of the Glen. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1895

About the author

Rev. John Watson, known by his pen name Ian Maclaren, was a Scottish author and theologian. He was born in Manningtree, Essex, and educated at Stirling and at Edinburgh University, later studying theology at New College, Edinburgh, and at Tübingen.

In 1874 he became a minister of the Free Church of Scotland and assistant minister of Edinburgh Barclay Church. Subsequently he was minister at Logiealmond in Perthshire and at Glasgow, and in 1880 he became minister of Sefton Park Presbyterian Church, Liverpool, from which he retired in 1905.

Maclaren's first stories of rural Scottish life, Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush (1894), achieved extraordinary popularity, selling more than 700 thousand copies, and were succeeded by other successful books, The Days of Auld Lang Syne (1895), Kate Carnegie and those Ministers (1896), and Afterwards and other Stories (1898). He is now considered to be one of the principal writers of the Kailyard school, characterized by sanitised and sentimental representations or rural life.

Under his own name John Watson published several volumes of sermons, among them being The Upper Room (1895), The Mind of the Master (1896) and The Potter's Wheel (1897).

Reviews

[Gille Liath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tender and True
In Drumtochty, the township in Victorian Perthshire where MacLaren's stories are set, all is for the best in the best of possible worlds. People have their troubles but they don't despair; Providence looks on, and things eventually turn out for the best. Though no-one makes a fuss, everyone does more than could reasonably be asked of them; in return, they ask less than their due but are always given more. Any conflict is due only to misunderstanding. In short, the people live in Faith, act in Charity and die in Hope.

Okay, it's idealised, sentimental even. No British writer would produce such work today. But MacLaren knows his subjects and has a good ear for their speech; the feeling with which he endows them is real and, at times, genuinely affecting. Surely there's a place for literature which shows us, not life as it is, but life as we'd like it to be.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember where I got this 1897 Dodd, Mead and Company edition, complete with list of illustrations by Frederick C. Gordon, but it was a tactile delight to read; pages neither crumbling nor musty. The story itself was a bit of Victorian era rural sentimentality with religious undertones but tolerable.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming story.