# XIV: The Man of Science (Continued) explained — The Wonderful Visit

> Chapter companion for The Wonderful Visit by H. G. Wells.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xiv-the-man-of-science-continued
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters