The Wonderful Visit · Chapter
XIV: The Man of Science (Continued) explained
Doctor Crump dismisses the Vicar's account of finding an angel, offering a scientific explanation for the phenomenon.
What happens
Doctor Crump dismisses the Vicar's account of finding an angel, offering a scientific explanation for the phenomenon. He suggests the Vicar was suffering from heatstroke and self-hypnotism, and that the creature is a 'mattoid'—a degenerate with a deformity and delusions of grandeur. The Vicar is left doubting his own experience.
Themes in this chapter
Faith, Doubt, and the Supernatural
The Vicar's belief in the Angel is challenged by Doctor Crump's materialist skepticism, highlighting the tension between spiritual experience and scientific rationalism.
Social Hypocrisy and Conformity
Doctor Crump's condescending dismissal of the Vicar's account reflects societal pressure to conform to rational, scientific explanations rather than accept the miraculous.
Characters to notice
- The Vicar
Relates his encounter with the Angel to Doctor Crump, but is increasingly uncertain and swayed by the Doctor's rational explanations.
- Doctor Crump
Dismisses the Angel as a natural, abnormal phenomenon, attributing the Vicar's story to heat, digestion, and self-hypnotism. He labels the Angel a 'mattoid' and advises weighing evidence with precision.
Key passages
“My dear fellow, everything that is, is natural. There is nothing unnatural in the world.”
Doctor Crump asserts that all phenomena, no matter how strange, have a natural explanation.
This encapsulates the Doctor's scientific worldview and his refusal to accept the supernatural.
“Weigh the evidence with our instruments of precision. What does it leave you? Splashes of colour, spots of fancy— muscae volantes .”
Doctor Crump advises the Vicar to rely on empirical evidence, reducing the Angel's appearance to optical illusions.
The Latin term 'muscae volantes' refers to floaters in the eye, underscoring the Doctor's attempt to medicalize the miraculous.