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A review by schmoterp
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
3.0
Arrowsmith tells the story of Martin Arrowsmith, a bright idealistic scientist on his life's work. From the beginning of his time at medical school, he is influenced by the prodigious and eccentric Dr. Gottlieb. Gottlieb's motivation was science and the search for truth; he was critical of "commercial" medical practitioners and those sycophantic scientists doing work for money and glory. This would become Arrowsmith's chief struggle throughout his professional life.
Complicating matters, as it so often does, Martin falls in love...a couple of times actually. He would eventually marry Leora who's devotion to Martin is saintly. Neither Martin nor any other man deserves a woman so patently unselfish as I found Leora to be. For the record, Martin is only somewhat aware of how lucky he is. Nevertheless, it is because of Leora that he makes certain choices and it is through Leora that he comes back to his roots in the laboratory. During this time, he has a breakthrough with a substance he calls "phage" and it would lead him to do field research and testing of the phage with a bubonic plague outbreak in the Caribbean. Leora would succumb to the disease that Martin was trying to cure. Upon his return home, he is jettisoned into upper society, finding a second wife who is rich rich rich. She birthed his only child, a son, and she even built him an enviable laboratory right at home. His trade-off would be to attend dinner parties and chit-chat with people he disdains as much as he could stand. Martin eventually decides his work must not be interrupted by the trappings of high society or family and moves into the woods with an old colleague. Some time later, his wife and son meet come to Martin and he rejects them again. It is during this hermit phase that Martin claims he is finally truly working but I believe Martin was happiest when he was working in the laboratory and with Leora.
It would appear that Sinclair Lewis wrote this novel as a social commentary to the change in American medicine following the effects of the 1910 Flexner report recommending that medical schools only teach mainstream science. The novel takes Arrowsmith down many career paths including small-town doctor, professor, researcher, and director. There are glib references to incompetence, fraud, pseudo-professionalism, and probably some other not-so-great tenants of the medical profession (or any profession, really). In a way, some of this book reminded me of Robin William's speech in Patch Adams about how some doctors have an expectation of their own reputation with a reverence bordering on religious piety rather than a profession of humanity. I dunno...maybe that's not completely analogous.
There were times I laughed out loud. Sinclair has a dry wit that despite being nearly 100 years old, still rings true. That can't be said for all of Arrowsmith's vernacular which is beyond dated to the point where meanings are unknown and the reader must ignorantly guess. It took me awhile to finish this one and I eventually abandoned the Kindle version for the Audible version. Even still, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I imagine it might be a fun book to read in school....perhaps mostly as a first-year medical student. In some ways, it even reminds me a bit of another satire, [b:A Confederacy of Dunces|310612|A Confederacy of Dunces|John Kennedy Toole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562554946l/310612._SY75_.jpg|968084].
Complicating matters, as it so often does, Martin falls in love...a couple of times actually. He would eventually marry Leora who's devotion to Martin is saintly. Neither Martin nor any other man deserves a woman so patently unselfish as I found Leora to be. For the record, Martin is only somewhat aware of how lucky he is. Nevertheless, it is because of Leora that he makes certain choices and it is through Leora that he comes back to his roots in the laboratory. During this time, he has a breakthrough with a substance he calls "phage" and it would lead him to do field research and testing of the phage with a bubonic plague outbreak in the Caribbean. Leora would succumb to the disease that Martin was trying to cure. Upon his return home, he is jettisoned into upper society, finding a second wife who is rich rich rich. She birthed his only child, a son, and she even built him an enviable laboratory right at home. His trade-off would be to attend dinner parties and chit-chat with people he disdains as much as he could stand. Martin eventually decides his work must not be interrupted by the trappings of high society or family and moves into the woods with an old colleague. Some time later, his wife and son meet come to Martin and he rejects them again. It is during this hermit phase that Martin claims he is finally truly working but I believe Martin was happiest when he was working in the laboratory and with Leora.
It would appear that Sinclair Lewis wrote this novel as a social commentary to the change in American medicine following the effects of the 1910 Flexner report recommending that medical schools only teach mainstream science. The novel takes Arrowsmith down many career paths including small-town doctor, professor, researcher, and director. There are glib references to incompetence, fraud, pseudo-professionalism, and probably some other not-so-great tenants of the medical profession (or any profession, really). In a way, some of this book reminded me of Robin William's speech in Patch Adams about how some doctors have an expectation of their own reputation with a reverence bordering on religious piety rather than a profession of humanity. I dunno...maybe that's not completely analogous.
There were times I laughed out loud. Sinclair has a dry wit that despite being nearly 100 years old, still rings true. That can't be said for all of Arrowsmith's vernacular which is beyond dated to the point where meanings are unknown and the reader must ignorantly guess. It took me awhile to finish this one and I eventually abandoned the Kindle version for the Audible version. Even still, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I imagine it might be a fun book to read in school....perhaps mostly as a first-year medical student. In some ways, it even reminds me a bit of another satire, [b:A Confederacy of Dunces|310612|A Confederacy of Dunces|John Kennedy Toole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562554946l/310612._SY75_.jpg|968084].