The illustration represents the scene depicted in the poem. It shows a brook
in a wooded area through which fly the heads of young men and women, powered by
butterfly wings attached to the sides of the heads.
Comprises a list of parodies on scientific and medical disciplines. For
example, defines 'Buyology' as 'How to get great bargins at sales', and
'Pathology' as 'How to find your way where the roads meet'.
This
Genealogical Picture of Mr. Punch's Forefathers (and Fore-Mothers), in Direct
Line from 1066 to 1868, Illustrating the Gradual Triumph of Mind over Matter
through Natural Selection, &c., &c., is Respectfully Dedicated to
Mr.
DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
Shows a long procession of male and female ancestors of Mr Punch. The
figures are dressed in the costumes of their period, from 1066 to 1868. All the
male ancestors are drawn with hooked noses to indicate the long ancestry of
this prominent feature on Mr Punch's face.
Shows a frosty night scene at the back of a house. In the middle of a
snow-covered lawn, the bald-headed Professor Parallax kneels on the grass to
look through his telescope at the star Capella, which is high in the night sky.
The Professor urges the corpulent Mrs Spudgrove to stoop down and observe the
star, but as the caption explains, she has already seen several other heavenly
objects and has 'almost had enough of it'.
Lists various 'griefs' of the day including the death of the walrus (at the
Zoological Society GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>)
and 'the dear little Hippocampi, that were like the Knights of Chess'.
Utilitarianism, Class, Human Development, Health, Disease, Pollution,
Crime, Periodicals
Lists various 'curiosities' shown at a recent 'Conversazione of the Poor Law
Commissioners'. These ridicule poor law guardians, particularly those
responsible for the notorious
Farnham Poor Law Union
WorkhouseFarnham Poor Law Union—Workhouse
CloseView the register entry >>, for creating such woefully poor conditions in workhouses
and workhouse infirmaries. For example, the exhibits include a 'Specimen of an
infirmary blanket, warranted not to keep the cold out', 'A bottle of air taken
from a workhouse bedroom. In proof of its impurity, a light being placed in it
immediately goes out', and 'A few stalactites found in the "Stalactite cave of
filth" referred to in the
LancetLancet
(1823–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
Commissioners' Report' (a reference to the Lancet's investigation of the
Farnham workhouse).
Astronomy, Religious Authority, Religion, Astrology
Corrects a claim made by
Pope Pius IXPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>
regarding the satellites of Saturn. Mystified by the Pope's further claim that
the planet and its satellites 'unchain their fury in the most horrible manner
against our religion', noting
Thomas Moore'sMoore, Thomas
(1779–1852)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
poetic description of Saturn's gaiety.
Anticipates the events of 1868. The author regrets that the next solar
eclipse will not be visible from Britain, noting that 'If the assiduous
watchmen on the hill at Greenwich [the
Royal Observatory, GreenwichRoyal Observatory, Greenwich CloseView the register entry >>]
[...] wish to see the total Eclipse of the Sun on August 18th, they must take
their smoked glass to the Cape of Good Hope or Mauritius'. The forthcoming
eclipse is therefore 'grudged to a country which has produced a
DOLLONDDollond, John
(1706–61)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> and a
FLAMSTEEDFlamsteed, John
(1646–1719)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>'. He also notes that
the next transit of Mercury across the sun's disk will occur in November 'after
the Whitebait Season is over, or the Astronomer Royal would have been happy to
see all the London stars [...] to dinner at the Observatory'.
The first illustration shows a man having his hair brushed by a large brush
rotated by a machine above the barber's shop. The other illustrations show the
barber, believing that his machine requires oiling, finally discovering that
its poor performance is due to the fact that the boy who turns the belt of the
machine has fallen asleep.
Class, Education, Museums, Human Development, Nationalism, Cultural
Geography, Government, Patronage, Amusement, Narcotics
Begins by announcing that 'It is not all dark in East London' and proceeds
to describe the attempt by
Septimus C H
HansardHansard, Septimus Cox Holmes
(1823–95)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> and three other individuals to establish a 'Museum of
Science and Art' in Bethnal Green (opened in 1872 as the
Bethnal Green Branch of the
South Kensington MuseumSouth Kensington Museum—Bethnal Green Branch
CloseView the register entry >>). Notes that the museum will 'be the means
of enabling our workmen to compete on more equal terms than at present with the
skilled workmen of foreign countries, especially in matters of taste', and
describes the government's enthusiasm and progress towards building the museum.
Points out that 'All that remains to be done [...] is to pay for the land' and
invites readers to subscribe. (8) Explains that since the museum will have long
opening hours it will be able 'to fight the gin-shop and the tap-room on fair
terms' and anticipates that the flowers that will grow in the museum garden
will be 'flowers of Hope', unlike those of 'sorrow and despair' which have
usually graced Bethnal Green.
Shows monkeys responding to the attempt by a man to paint, take photographs,
play music, and look through a telescope in the wilderness. The illustrations
headed 'Photography' and 'Astronomy' show monkeys clambering over the
instruments and imitating the behaviour of the man.
Written from the perspective of a donkey, the letter begins by noting that
some people wonder where donkeys go when they die, and suggests that the ghosts
of asses might be responsible for table-rapping. Argues that members of his
species do not die but 'disappear' and asks that they be 'decently put out of
sight'. Expresses a wish that donkeys should be disposed of in the same way as
horses—by being 'stalled and fattened when past work', 'dispatched' by a
butcher, and then eaten.
Responds to a testimonial supporting the guardians of the
Farnham Poor Law Union
WorkhouseFarnham Poor Law Union—Workhouse
CloseView the register entry >> signed by the Bishop of Winchester and ratepayers and
residents in and around Farnham. Asks
John BrightBright, John
(1811–89)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> to
denounce signatories for their ignorance, and challenges the proposal of the
guardians' supporters to raise a subscription for the chairman of the Farnham
Poor Law Union board. Concludes by suggesting that the most suitable
testimonial for this individual would be a copy of the New Testament (in order
to raise his morality) and the
Lancet'sLancet
(1823–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> damning
report of the workhouse.
Chemistry, Military Technology, Organic Chemistry, Politics
Containing a description of modern explosives, this poem begins by noting
how in the days 'Before Chemistry has started' there was no louder or more
damaging explosive than gunpowder. Proceeds to 'Modern chemic science' and
details the new explosives including 'the fulminates / Of mercury, and silver',
the highly unstable 'chloride of ammonium, / To be named with small encomium',
nitroglycerine and gun-cotton, 'all sorts of matches, / To be fired by rubs and
scratches', and the volatile hydrocarbons that 'blow all to shatters'.
Concludes by considering the consequences of the Romans and Athenians being
armed with such weapons.
Discusses a letter in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> from
Sherard OsbornOsborn, Sherard
(1822–75)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
who proposes to travel to the Arctic this winter. Observing the extreme
coldness of the present season, the writer suggests that explorers would be
better to travel to the interior of Africa than the North Pole, and that only a
'blazing hot' summer could explain 'a man's' wish 'to be afloat in the Polar
Sea'. Concludes by suggesting that Osborn must have a very 'ardent temperament'
and be motivated by 'mere geographical curiosity'.
Utilitarianism, Morality, Nutrition, Health, Education,
Class
Begins by noting that with the passage of the Reform Bill, there have been
calls for greater educational provisions for the poorer classes. Points out
that the poor need to be fed before they can be educated and announces the
formation of a new 'Humane Society' for 'providing weekly dinners for poor
children', a society conducted by
Anthony A Cooper (7th
Earl of Shaftesbury)Cooper, Anthony Ashley, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
(formerly styled 'Lord Ashley')
(1801–85)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> which aims to improve the health and powers of
children through provision of 'good solid dinners'.
Invention, Electricity, Music, Military Technology,
Amusement
Describes some of the inventions of his 'Portable Friend' including a camp
stool whose legs contain revolvers and daggers, a galvanic attachment to a
piano enabling the instrument to play tunes and light cigars and pipes during
parties, and a 'galvanic portmanteau' which will 'mark the time, the distance,
tell the day of the month, cook a dinner, be a bed carriage' and 'a boat'.
Describes more inventions of his 'Portable Friend' including a
travelling-cap that can be turned into a portable bath, a waterproof coat, a
boat, a hot-water bottle, and a sponge-bath. In a discussion, the narrator's
friend works out how to turn his invention into a house on wheels.
Begins by comparing the smoothness of Parisian streets (accomplished with
steam-rollers) to the roughness of England's thoroughfares, but relishes news
that the
City of London Commissioners of
SewersCity of London Commissioners of Sewers
CloseView the register entry >> have resolved to use asphalt instead of grouting to cement
the granite pavements, a plan which will prevent mud from passing up from
beneath the pavements.
Reports that travellers in America have recorded that, after watching the
'wonderful agility of the opossum in its native forests, they could but
exclaim, in conscious inferiority—Non opossumus', a reference is
to the Latin plea 'non possumus' (i.e. 'we cannot').
Recalls the theological argument 'that the proof of the small value which
Providence sets upon Wealth is shown by the sort of persons who get the most of
it'. Supposes that 'the same rule applies to Honours', noting the number of
unworthy peers, while
Charles
WheatstoneWheatstone, Charles
(1802–75)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, 'who invented the Electric Telegraph and the
Stereoscope', is only to be knighted, and that 'after thirty years'.
Natural History, Zoology, Disease, Human Development, Scientific
Practitioners
Shows a young girl standing before her father, a 'Naturalistic Papa', in his
study. The girl tells her father that 'George' (presumably her brother) has
caught a worm—a 'ring worm'.
Discusses a report of the death of a pauper in
Holloway
PrisonHolloway Prison
CloseView the register entry >>, one of fifty-one paupers who have been imprisoned for
begging. The alderman who sent them to prison subsequently treated his charges
to hard labour and a diet of 'dry bread and gruel'. Presents an extract from
the report which reveals that the prisoners were genuine beggars suffering from
starvation and physical exhaustion. Notes that following the inquest into the
death of one of the prisoners, the coroner's jury advised that the prisoners'
diets should be changed. Concludes by bitterly condemning the alderman for his
barbarous act.
Zoology, Zoological Gardens, Military Technology, War,
Politics
Describes the armadillo to be seen at the
Zoological Society GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>.
Draws attention to the strong coat of armour which covers the species and
considers 'how well it would be, / Were all of our neighbours armed only like
thee'. Describes the precarious political situation in Europe, wishing that its
countries would 'leave one another alone', in which case they would not need as
strong a 'safeguard' as the armadillo's. Notes that 'France will arm to the
teeth, not with rivals to cope, / But to fight, if required, for the crown of
the
POPEPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>', but that if France were
to disarm, its example would prompt other European countries to follow
suit.
Education, Mathematics, Nutrition, Human Development
Shows a father attempting to teach his son 'Harry' geometry using a cake. He
tells his son that the circumference of the cake is roughly equal to three
times the diameter and is then interrupted by his son begging to have the
'c'cumf'rence for my share!!'.
Calls on
John CummingCumming, John
(1807–81)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> not to
be 'angry because the universe does not explode at the exact time he fixes for
that event'. Noting that Cumming denies that he has 'prophesied anything', the
writer insists that theologians such as Cumming have predicted the end of the
world in 'about 1868'. Claiming that 'We are never angry—except when
people richly deserve it', insists that just as Punch has treated
Cumming with good humour, so Cumming should do the same.
Medical Practitioners, Medical Treatment, Disease, Politics,
Pharmaceuticals, Narcotics
Describes solutions to the problems of Ireland as if the country were a
patient. Notes that the 'doctors' differ over 'the case of Ireland', while
'empirics' propose to administer 'tonics, stimulants, and alteratives'.
Believes solutions to the Irish problems may be presented in the style of
patent medicines (for example, 'Try the Endowment of Irish Roman Catholic
Priests in grants and glebes taken from the Established Church'), but concludes
that the only panacea likely to prove effective is tobacco.
Depicts the adventures of a missionary who is directed by his bishop to the
'plains of Timbuctoo'. His recitation of 'his nones' attracts the attention of
a savage cassowary which is subsequently attacked by vultures (80).
Medical Practitioners, Gender, Periodicals, Education
Responds to a
Lady's Own
PaperLady's Own Paper
(1866–72)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> article on
Elizabeth
GarrettAnderson (née Garrett), Elizabeth
(1836–1917)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> which includes a portrait and sketch of her medical career.
The author recommends a career in medicine to 'young ladies disposed thereto,
and capable thereof' and proceeds to attack 'the
ApothecariesWorshipful Society of Apothecaries of London
CloseView the register entry >>' for
preventing women from taking their diploma. Ridicules the argument made by male
medical doctors (Dr Prig and Dr Pumpwater) that 'the constitution of the female
mind is not adapted to the cultivation of medical science', insisting that many
women are 'quite as capable of routine practice as the average of medical men',
and urging Mr Punch to tell the 'medical corporations' that they are 'afraid of
female competition'. Draws attention to the fact that some women 'object to
matrimonial servitude' and that those 'who have as much brain as heart would
make first rate doctors'. Suggests the possibility that a medical lady 'might
marry as well as practise' and 'go into double partnership with a medical
gentleman'. Believes that while ladies' fortunes are often made from their
face, they could gain a fellowship of the
Royal
College of SurgeonsRoyal College of Surgeons
CloseView the register entry >>. Concludes by asking Mr Punch to 'blow up the
Council which presides over medical education' and to open the 'healing
profession' to qualified women.
Discusses a recent address given to the
Social Science
AssociationNational Association for the Promotion of Social Science
CloseView the register entry >> by
Henry LethebyLetheby, Henry
(1816–76)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
Notes Letheby's evidence for food adulteration and his description of the way
that 'in the olden times' traders convicted of adulterating their articles were
forced to expose their shady practices in public, were placed in the pillory,
and then had their trading license revoked. Concludes by regretting that this
practice has been stopped.
Sanitation, Public Health, Health, Disease, Government, Medical
Practitioners, Medical Treatment, Patronage, Hospitals, Politics, Industry,
Manufactories, Pollution
Begins by reminding readers of the criticism aimed at Mr Punch for his views
on the manufacturing districts in the Black Country (see
Anon, 'The Queen in the Black Country', Punch, 51 (1866), 238,
, Anon, 'The Black Country. Is it as Black as Mr. Punch has Painted it?', Punch, 51 (1866), 240–41,
, Anon, 'The Black Country, Not all Black', Punch, 51 (1866), 262 and
, Anon, 'White Upon Black', Punch, 52 (1867), 17) and in New Zealand. Urging readers to
'fly' to the 'pure air and primitive simplicity of the country', introduces and
presents extensive extracts from a damning report, by
Dr ThorneThorne, Dr
(fl. 1868)
PU1/54/8/6 CloseView the register entry >>, a
medical inspector of the
Privy Council
OfficePrivy Council Office
CloseView the register entry >>, of the grim conditions in the village of Terling. Punch
stresses that villagers endure stagnant water, ramshackle houses, and a
poor diet. The extracts reveal the poor mental and physical health of the
villagers, a state of affairs owing much to 'inter-marriages' and the 'moisture
of the soil and the atmosphere'. Thorne laments that the cottages are
surrounded by cesspools, dilapidated privies and other filthy nuisances that
are associated with outbreaks of typhoid. Adds that the owner of the land on
which the village is built,
John J Strutt (2nd Baron
Rayleigh)Strutt, John James, 2nd Baron Rayleigh
(1796–1873)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, has given his tenants allotments on which they can store
'foul accumulations'. The following extract contains Thorne's description of
the shocking state of the wells and drainage in the village, facilities which
make the water 'nothing better than stinking pools'. (87) Expresses no surprise
that Terling was recently visited by 'King Typhus', killing hundreds of people,
and presents Thorne's damning evidence against Terling's poor-law guardians who
had taken measures to disinfect the village and to supply villagers with
medical provisions, but had ignored Thorne's repeated calls for the removal of
the foul 'nuisances'. Thorne adds that the guardians could have prevented the
cholera outbreak had they performed their duty, and adds that Lord Rayleigh had
informed him of the properly constructed cesspools with which he was supplying
villagers. Includes an extract from Thorne's second report on Terling, which
presents further evidence of the board of guardians' signal neglect of Thorne's
advice, the continuing presence of 'abominable' nuisances in the village and of
the board's failure to build properly constructed cesspools. Punch
sarcastically concludes that this illustrates what 'a great principle is
"Local Self-Government"' whose prophet is Bumble (the parish beadle in
Charles
Dickens'sDickens, Charles
(1837–96)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>Oliver Twist[Dickens, Charles
John Huffam] 1838. Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's
Progress, 3 vols, London: Richard Bentley
CloseView the register entry >>.) Presents Thorne's praise
for
Dr GimsonGimson, Dr
(fl. 1868)
PU1/54/8/7 CloseView the register entry >>, who has
attended sick villagers, and Lord Rayleigh and his wife
Clara E L Stutt
(Baroness Rayleigh)Strutt, Clara Elizabeth La Touche, Lady
Rayleigh
(fl. 1868)
PU1/54/8/7 ODNB, s.v. Strutt, John William CloseView the register entry >>, who have embarked on such philanthropic schemes
as establishing a convalescent hospital for children. In a final extract,
Thorne describes the equally dire conditions of Witham, a village near Terling,
whose guardians have also ignored the unsanitary conditions of the houses and
streets. Concludes by pointing out that the Sanitary Act of 1866 empowers the
Secretary of State to inquire into such cases of neglect, and to force boards
of guardians to perform their duty. (88)
Pokes fun at a review of
Darwin 1868Darwin, Charles
Robert 1868. The Variation of Animals and Plants Under
Domestication, 2 vols, London: J. Murray
CloseView the register entry >> which claims that
the book will be as interesting and illuminating to 'Country Gentlemen' as 'all
Biologists and Speculative Thinkers'. Imagines how a 'Country Gentleman [...]
of the finest old-crusted Tory politics and views on education' might read
Darwin'sDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
work. Relates that 'Old JOHN STOCKWELL, of
Bathley Wood Farm' is prompted by talk at his local public house to borrow the
volumes from 'his clergyman, who is scientific, and subscribes to a London
Library', and to peruse the work while being stimulated by brandy and water.
Relates that since the farmer's education stopped at fourteen he fails to
'master the polysyllabic difficulties' in the work, and after struggling with
'Hybridism' and 'Provisional Hypothesis of Pangenesis' 'throws
DARWIN down' and retires to bed where he 'resolves never again
to stray away from
Old
MooreVox Stellarum
(1701–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>, the weather-glass, and
Bell's
Weekly RegisterBell's Weekly Messenger
(1796–1896)
Country Sport and Messenger of Agriculture
(1896–1900)
Waterloo Directory CloseView the register entry >>'.
Presents a discussion between the author and his friend, Mr Bruff, who think
that explorers are insane, not least because of their tendency to 'go roaming
about [...] among lions and cannibals'. The author retorts that the same
'gentlemen of wealth' are equally insane to 'put themselves in the way of
cannon balls' and insists that such famous travellers as
David
LivingstoneLivingstone, David
(1813–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
John H SpekeSpeke, John Hanning
(1827–64)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> are
sane but actuated 'by a particular impulse'. The discussion then focuses on
Bruff's claim that two brothers must both have an insane interest in travel,
although the author argues from phrenology that a large organ of 'Locality'
will, for one brother, find 'relief in exertion', but for the other brother the
size of this organ will produce large amounts of 'pent-up energy' and mental
imbalance.
Notes from a passage in
Tyndall 1867Tyndall, John
1867. Sound: A Course of Eight Lectures Delivered at the Royal Institution
of Great Britain, London: Longmans, Green and Co.
CloseView the register entry >> how
John TyndallTyndall, John
(1820–93)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
explained that music could be transmitted to great distances using wooden
conductors. Discusses the possibility of using this to listen to
Crystal
PalaceCrystal Palace
CloseView the register entry >> concerts 'without the bore of going to them'. Warns that
'great care must be taken in laying down the sound-tubes, so that no unpleasant
noises [for example, 'the whistle of a steam-engine'] may chance to be conveyed
by them'.
Shows a young boy and his aunt standing beside a lion's cage in the
Zoological Society GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>.
The boy tells his aunt that he would like to see his school headmaster placed
in the lion's den.
Veterinary Science, Dissection, Surgery, Cultural Geography,
Nationalism
Expresses horror at cruel practices perpetrated at French schools of
veterinary science. Noting how students are obliged to dissect live horses,
considers French veterinary surgeons to be 'bigger brutes than those on which
they operate', and emphasises that English dissecting rooms are for instructing
students, not for torture.
Military Technology, Manufactories, Industry, Religious
Authority
Discusses news of a Lyons factory that produces nine hundred Chassepot
rifles every day. Punch sarcastically praises this rate of production
because it causes such carnage on behalf of
Pope Pius IXPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>.
Discusses an attempt by the
Metropolitan Board of WorksMetropolitan Board of Works
CloseView the register entry >> to
negotiate the purchase of
Thomas M
Wilson'sWilson, Sir Thomas Maryon, 8th Baronet
(1800–69)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> lands for which he is charging a huge price. Suggests that
the Board of Works be allowed to take legal action against Wilson, just as a
railway company could take action against a landowner who charged exorbitant
costs for buying his land.
Quackery, Medical Treatment, Medical Practitioners, Commerce
Begins by describing the recent collapse of
Thomas
Holloway'sHolloway, Thomas
(1800–83)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> shop premises on the north side of the Strand. Believes
Holloway 'surpassed in name OLD PARR' and
how, in his shop, Holloway had 'compounded Pills' which he 'declared in puffs
and bills'. Explains that the site of the shop is to be used for 'Courts of
Law' and warns those 'Quacks, on public health who prey' to glean a bad omen
from the fall of the house of Holloway.
The writer describes his attempts to improve his knowledge of geography.
Stresses how his familiarity with various geographical locations has come from
major conflicts, such as the Crimean war, the war between Austria, France, and
Italy, and the current war between Britain and Abyssinia.
Shows a 'Studious Lodger', standing near a table, in conversation with his
landlady, Mrs Priggins. Pointing, with a knife, to a plate of meat he tells Mrs
Priggins that if she had a better understanding of mathematics she would
'readily comprehend how impossible it is that this steak which I sent from
table last night a rectangular parallelogram, is now an irregular
pentagon!!'.
Shows a woman wearing a hat in the shape of a swan's head. Around her
shoulders, she wears a white-feathered shawl, and warms her hands in a muff
made from a swan's feathers and feet. The caption explains, 'This little duck
wear and effective aquatic jacket, strongly recommended for the boating
season'.
Narrates the experiences of two yokels, Josias Gutch and Zacharias Brown.
Josias describes to his friend a visit to a 'Zircus' which advertised a
mysterious animal called 'the great Zaga-zias'. He explains that he demanded
his money back on not seeing the beast before being directed to a tent where he
saw what Zacharias identifies from his description as 'an Nellyphant'. The two
friends disagree about the identity of the beast and ask the parson for help;
he takes them back to
Wombwell's
menagerieWombwell's Menagerie
CloseView the register entry >> in his trap. What Josias took to be 'the Great Zaga-zias'
proves to be an elephant identified as 'THE
GREAT SAGACIOUS'.
Medical Practitioners, Medical Treatment, Disease, Politics,
Religion
Shows Dr Disraeli (Benjamin DisraeliDisraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield
(1804–81)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>) and Dr Gladstone
(William E
GladstoneGladstone, William Ewart
(1809–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>) standing near a chair on which sits Paddy, a comic
representation of Ireland. Paddy's swollen jaw is wrapped in a bandage labelled
'Protestant Church', which is identified as the bad tooth of the title. The
dialogue between the two doctors reveals their different solutions to Catholic
opposition of the established
Church of
IrelandChurch of Ireland
CloseView the register entry >>, Gladstone believing that it should 'come out at once' (be
disestablished), Disraeli being 'decidedly in favour of stopping'.
Notes the discovery of evidence that English porcelain may have been
manufactured at Bow, where 'moulds have been found whence China now at
South
KensingtonSouth Kensington Museum
CloseView the register entry >> is stated to have been made'. Adds that geologists at
the
Museum of Economic GeologyMuseum of Economic Geology, Charing Cross CloseView the register entry >> have
reported that the owners of the land on which the discovery was made want to
advance research 'in the interests of English art'. Later notes the
introduction of a railway bill making it compulsory to provide means of
communication between guards and passengers.
Includes an advertisement from a firm of dubious sounding 'Ecclesiastical
Decorators, Plumbers, and Glaziers' who propose to construct a stained glass
window 'representing the progress of the construction of a Railway, and
designed to illustrate the life and works of an eminent Engineer'.
Laments the ways in which poor-law inspectors 'use fine official language to
veil in some degree the horrors they discover, and which it is their duty
plainly to disclose'. Presents extracts from a report describing some of the
grim conditions in
Bedminster Poor Law Union
WorkhouseBedminster Poor Law Union Workhouse
CloseView the register entry >> and reporting that the words 'inadquate' and
'insufficient' have been used by guardians to describe conditions which, as
Ernest A HartHart, Ernest Abraham
(1835–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
found, were inhumane and even fatal to paupers.
Believes that medical students will be interested in a report on the
Florentine chamber of deputies who are debating the 'Grinding-Tax Bill'.
Suggests that this is a 'tax upon grinding, the consideration whereof may
occasion some of those youths who design themselves candidates for diplomas in
medicine and surgery to rejoice as being better off than the Italian
students'.
Notes the existence of a 'Special Committee' for 'floating obstructions and
submarine explosive structures for sea-defence' and its publication of a report
on 'Passive Obstructions for the Defence of Harbours and Channels'. Wonders if
the board of the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >> is included
in the list of obstructions.
Praises the work of
John AbsolonAbsolon, John
(1815–95)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, an
artist who, 'without money-payment has given three months of well-occupied time
to the painting of ten pictures in distemper, for the decoration of one of the
sick wards of
Guy's
HospitalGuy's Hospital
CloseView the register entry >>'. Holds that the pictures, which represent 'scenes of
pleasant, bright, outdoor life', will successfully illuminate an otherwise
dreary hospital ward.
Referring to
William E
Gladstone'sGladstone, William Ewart
(1809–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> proposal to pacify Ireland by disestablishing the
Church of
IrelandChurch of Ireland
CloseView the register entry >>, this poem describes the action of the 'Anti-Church Pills'
manufactured by 'GLADSTONE &
CO.' Boasts that the pills are a 'certain cure / Of Chronic
insurrection' and 'revolution', and will 'much improve / The general
constitution'.
Evolution, Human Development, Darwinism, Ornithology, Zoology,
Nutrition
The illustration shows activity on the top of a house-boat (the 'Volcano
Villa' of the story), which is sailing into a sunset. On the chimney of the
house is perched a strange spoonbill (a 'pangofflin') with a beak formed in the
shape of two forks. On the roof, a simian William Nutt (the long-serving man
servant in the story) balances on the top of a chair, juggles various items of
cutlery, and balances several bottles on its nose. This entertainment pleases
Nutt's employer, Grace Marchmont, who looks on admiringly from her resting
place near the chimney stack.
Addressed to the editor of the 'Chikkin Hazard', this explains his choice of
illustration accompanying
Anon, 'Chikkin Hazard. Chapter XIII. Floating Capital', Punch, 54 (1868), 165–66. The letter-writer points out that
the bird in the illustration is a 'tame pangofflin' which is a 'variety of the
spoonbill' whose 'peculiar bill' is, according to the author's ornithological
friend, 'a splendid illustration of
MR.
DARWIN'SDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> well-known theories on the origin of
species'.
Boasting that Mr Punch's jokes have stopped the 'spirits' from giving
musical concerts, tha author stresses how 'easy it would be to copy their
performance', appealing to a passage in
Tyndall 1867Tyndall, John
1867. Sound: A Course of Eight Lectures Delivered at the Royal Institution
of Great Britain, London: Longmans, Green and Co.
CloseView the register entry >> in which the
physicist insists on the unlimited distance through which sounds and music can
be transmitted. Interprets this as suggesting that the sounds of a guitar or an
accordion (instruments frequently used at séances) could be transmitted
from a room beneath the 'apartment where the spirits were holding their
séance' and thus 'wondrously astonish the weak minds of the
audience'.
Records the 'horror, surprise, and indignation' with which he responded to
the sight of a 'large steam-roller' at work in Park Lane. Likens the crowd's
reaction to that elicited by a 'Dodo or Plesiosaurus, or some other
praediluvian and now non-extent monster'. Proceeds to condemn this aspect of
'street-improvements', not least because it has been borrowed from France.
Upholds the virtues of travelling in carriages along bumpy roads, and thinks
steam-rollers 'must end in revolutions' as in France.
Gender, Psychology, Mental Illness, Disease, Mesmerism, Spiritualism,
Religious Authority, Religion
Written from the perspective of a bachelor, this links a variety of female
maladies to hysteria. Explains that women's tendency to 'laugh or cry / Without
reason why' and to indulge in violent actions is attributable to hysteria.
Similarly, believes that hysteria is responsible for a woman's cunning and
ability 'to feign [...] without her will', as well as her 'prophetic fits', her
obedience to mesmeric and spiritualistic forces, and her subordination to the
will of 'divines' and 'Ritualism'. Concludes by wishing that his future wife be
content with her husband and his intention to 'avert her from that dire
disease, / Hysteria'.
Quackery, Medical Practitioners, Politics, Government, Public
Health
Addressed to the Home Secretary,
Gathorne
Gathorne-HardyGathorne-Hardy, Gathorne, 1st Earl of
Cranbrook
(1814–1906)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, the letter-writer supports a plea in 'a medical
journal' for him to 'press forward the Medical Acts Amendment Bill, which will
rob the quacks of their power to assume medical titles', and which has been
neglected for several years. Believes that 'There can hardly be much public
business which should be deemed more pressing than that of taking care of the
health of the public', and insists that depriving quacks of medical titles will
undermine their power to endanger people's lives.
Discusses the opposition of
Robert
GrimstonGrimston, Robert
(1816–84)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> to the plan to put the telegraph system into government
hands. Notes his dubious argument that the telegraph companies, 'for doing the
work badly, get enough out of the public to pay a good dividend'.
Begins by noting the recent 'opening of two railways into wild and savage
Northern districts'—the
Sutherland
RailwaySutherland Railway
CloseView the register entry >> in Scotland and the
St John's Wood Railway CompanySt John's Wood Railway Company
CloseView the register entry >>
extension to the
Metropolitan RailwayMetropolitan Railway Company
CloseView the register entry >>. Describes
Mr Punch's experience of the latter, which terminates in a 'swarthy moor' and
which uses 'new and luxurious' carriages and agreeable porters. Proceeds to
describe the inhabitants of St John's Wood as if they were an exotic
civilisation: for example, the author stresses that they are 'not
ill-conditioned', that their language 'has affinity with that of the Pembridge
districts, and Bayswater', that they indulge in 'dreary' amusements 'usual
among savage tribes', and that they sustain worship of a 'Great Spirit called
the Pine-Apple Ghost'.
Economic Geology, Domestic Economy, Political Economy
Shows an elderly man sitting by a fire in his drawing room. He tells his
maidservant not to 'put too many coals on' because it makes him 'shiver when I
think that in three hundred years we shall have none left'. This responds to
contemporary debate on the rapid depletion of Britain's coal measures.
Utilitarianism, Disease, Health, Medical Practitioners, Politics,
Government, Charlatanry
Begins by noting how attention has recently been directed to the filthy
condition of workhouses, and discusses a report in the
Pall Mall
GazettePall Mall Gazette
(1865–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> of the way in which inspectors working for the
Poor Law BoardPoor Law Board
CloseView the register entry >>
investigate workhouses 'blindfolded by routine and red-tape'. Explains how
poor-law commissioners now propose to make the already overworked and poorly
paid workhouse medical officers carry out inspections for the board. Points out
that such practitioners fear offending poor-law guardians who will make 'a
scapegoat of their surgeon and consider him responsible for their own
shortcomings'. Concludes by insisting that 'Punch protests with all his
might against such vile humbuggery' and heartily supports the Pall Mall
Gazette's plan for 'an auxiliary corps of medical and technical
inspectors', a move that has led to 'improved management and inspection of
workhouses', and in turn 'an immense and unexpected saving'.
Zoology, Animal Behaviour, Human Development, Music, Anatomy,
Instruments
Includes two illustrations of a monkey sitting and playing musical
instruments. It also includes an illustration of several birds and fishes, and
a snake, all of which have cutting implements (for example, a saw and a
bradawl) for mouths.
Gender, Medical Practitioners, Quackery, Charlatanry, Analytical
Chemistry, Scientific Practitioners
Following
Anon, 'Question for Dr.
Mary Walker', Punch, 54 (1868), 177, insists that since a 'Medical Quack
can be called a woman because he's a Charlotte Anne', so 'a Chemist
might be called a Ditto, as he is an Anne Eliza (Analyser)'.
Notes
William Hutt'sHutt, Sir William
(1801–82)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
introduction of a bill to 'promote something like honesty on the part of
Railway and Joint Stock Companies' (201).
Military Technology, Ornithology, Animal Behaviour, Patenting,
Electricity, Manufactories, Supernaturalism, Spectroscopy
Lists various items of scientific news which involve puns on technical
terms. For example, 'The proper thing to use with gun-cotton is shot silk', and
'A Scientific Ghost-story will shortly appear in fortnightly numbers, founded
on Spectrum Analysis'.
Begins by identifying
Daniel D HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> as
an unprecedented 'worker of wonders' and introduces the chorus,
'HOME, HOME, DAN
HOME, / No Medium like HOME'. Proceeds to
describe the sensational legal case in which
Jane LyonLyon, Jane
(fl. 1868)
Jenkins 1982 CloseView the register entry >> accused Home of
using fraudulent 'spiritualistic' means of proving himself to be the true heir
to her considerable legacy. It emphasises that Lyon's 'terrors are vain' in the
face of Home who flies 'Into fortune'. Describes the various phenomena
allegedly produced through his mediumship (including levitation) and insists
that his fame 'should be pinned' on his ability to raise the wind rather than
himself. Concludes by noting that 'He is vouched for by friends, F.R.S.'s,
M.P.'s' and other dignitaries, and that he has 'on tap draughts for thousands
of pounds'.
Discusses the 'prevalent practice of baby-farming', practitioners of which
are distinguished from other farmers because they are never protectionists and
always 'utterly heartless', since they do not wish for any legislation that
will protect their livestock.
Pokes fun at an advertisement from a woman medium for 'séances of
Youth'. Punch suggests that this means that lady séance-goers can
'get themselves enamelled by disembodied impostors'.
Exploration, Physical Geography, Heroism | Medical
Practitioners, Controversy, Quackery
Includes advertisements for a watch with which to 'count the minutes' until
David
Livingstone'sLivingstone, David
(1813–73)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> return, and one for the 'Balsam of Timbuctoo' which is
proffered as a more effective drug than Punch.
Divided into two sections. In 'To Dissolve
ParliamentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >>', explains that the 'common
Parliament' is composed of 'Ministerial Varnish, Soft Soap, Gum
BenjaminDisraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield
(1804–81)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>', and 'Colouring Matter'. 'Gum
Benjamin' is responsible for giving Parliament its 'adhesive' properties while
being 'wonderfully plastic'. Points out how the 'sensitive atoms' of Parliament
can be held in suspense by 'an occult influence'—presumably that of 'Gum
Benjamin'. In 'Electoral Affinities', gold is claimed to be a 'universal
political solvent, specially remarkable for its electoral affinities'. Using an
analogy between politics and electrochemistry, explains how bringing the
'auriferous wires of a powerful club battery' in contact with 'the Poll' causes
the latter to become 'positively electrified with venal avidity, the whole body
surrounding the Poll, being charged with a subtle fluid technically called
craft'.
Military Technology, Government, Political Economy
Discusses an extract from
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
lamenting the high cost of ordnance, and suggests that this makes it desirable
to enforce the 'prevention, or diminution to the smallest possible amount' of
the expense of military projectiles.
Anticipating a performance at the forthcoming Handel Festival of 'They
Loathed to Drink of the River' from
Georg F
Händel'sHändel, Georg Friedrich
(1685–1759)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> oratorio Israel in Egypt, discusses a report in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
concerning
William FarrFarr, William
(1807–83)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, who
could find no evidence of a decline in the mortality rates from fever, a result
that Farr linked to a rising population and therefore water contamination.
Punch agrees on the link between population and contamination, but adds
that an increased 'moral density' pollutes the streams, kills its fishes, and
discolours flowers. Suggests that decreasing the 'moral density' of the
population would lower the population and therefore the death rate. Offers this
for consideration by those who dismiss conservation of the environment to be
backward-looking.
Begins by arguing that, irrespective of the credibility of mesmerism, 'there
is in some reality in a species of animal magnetism; a magnetic force which
attracts some people to some animals'. Proceeds to note that the horse has the
power to attract the 'multitude' and can 'possess some people with
infatuation'. Presents an extract from the
ArgusArgus
(cited 1868)
PU1/54/22/5 CloseView the register entry >> describing the
case of a marquis who lost his property in bets on horses. Insists that horses
emit 'a very demoralising influence', causing rogues to win and fools to loose
money. Argues, however, that this is a 'magnetic' influence, owing to the fact
that it exists in a polar form (roguery and folly corresponding to the north
and south poles), and it can induce an 'aptitude to cheat or be cheated'
(analogous to magnetic induction). Concludes by suggesting that the 'Horsey
magnetic influence does not seem always to confer the ability to pronounce the
word "horse" aright' and to stop people dropping their aitches.
Criticizing the 'milk and water' tenderness which he believes is 'running
the
ArmyArmy
CloseView the register entry >>', discusses an extract from
the
LancetLancet
(1823–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> describing a
new design of knapsack which is better for the solider's health. Anticipates
that investigations into the health of the Army will lead to similar 'soft'
measures, including soldiers being 'stethescoped' before marching. Concludes by
condemning the measures that are being taken to 'keep our Army in good
health'.
Discusses a letter in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> from
representatives of the
Patent Wheel
WorksPatent Wheel Works
CloseView the register entry >> who were fined for 'unlawfully using a furnace not
constructed so as to consume its own smoke'. Although the representatives
recognised their crime, Punch reports that they had really desired a
furnace that would burn smoke and had urged the government to adopt the best
smoke-consuming apparatus. Concludes by pointing out that the government
already 'does its part' and urges manufacturers that it is up to them to
'discover how not to establish nuisances'.
Shocked by the title of a paper recently presented at 'one of the Scientific
Societies'—'Elasticity of Animal Type'—and suggests that
'Bourgeois' is the only type that can possibly be considered animal.
Discusses an advertisement from a physician who 'can receive an inmate with
or without medical care' and who can teach. Suggests that the title of the
advertisement, 'Homœopathy' is not 'to be taken to mean Humbug'.
Considers the advantages of producing after-dinner speeches by machinery, an
idea that would involve using a machine-operated wax figure dressed as the
chairman, who could 'mumble what might pass for a good sample of after-dinner
oratory'. Suggests that famous after-dinner speakers 'go about' with mechanical
replicas of themselves which might be offered for hire.
Notes that on the previous Friday 'a great thunderstorm came to-day'
although this did not 'get rid of the Electricity in either
HouseHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >>'.
The author discusses his visit to the fifth annual horse show at the
Agricultural Hall,
IslingtonAgricultural Hall, Islington CloseView the register entry >>, an experience that benefits 'the real admirer of the
noble brute'. Argues that contemplating horses in this way 'must have its due
effect on those heartless utilitarians' who eat horses and thereby 'degrade the
horse to the level of the dinner-table'. Notes that a 'grim suggestion' of an
equine version of the 'sausage machine' was on display, but hopes the day of
booming markets for horse flesh are far distant. Upholds the importance of the
show as a means of improving 'the quadruped himself' and displaying horses of a
variety of 'shapes and sizes'. Describes and criticises some of the decisions
made by the show's judges, attacks the barbarous practice of shortening horse's
tails, and praises the 'behaviour of the animals in their stalls and
boxes'.
Shows a woman wearing a hat which comprises a large dove whose head is
tucked under its body. She also wears a jacket showing the head and feathers of
a dove.
The initial letter forms part of an illustration showing the subject of the
poem (the spectacle maker) holding a large sheet on which is printed 'Pity /
Poor Directors'. Written from the perspective of the spectacle maker, this poem
recounts the author's attempts to sell his spectacles of 'rare' quality.
Reveals that his spectacles are of different colours; the yellow-hued ones
makes everything appear golden, causing the wearer to mistake coal for gold and
thus embark on fruitless boring in coal mines. Describes a pair of spectacles
'set in lacquer', which allow one to see the world as black, including
John BrightBright, John
(1811–89)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, and
another pair 'made on a telescopic plan', which 'dwarf' everything, making
'Heaven itself just a bit of a place, / Where there's room for the one or
chosen few': these are worn by learned men. He concludes with his 'specs of
introspection', which he is having difficulty selling and which are put on 'at
our final hour'.
The first illustration shows the representation by a 'Chinese Artist' of a
piano, at which a women is seated, and near which a man (dressed in traditional
Chinese costume) stands. The subsequent illustrations show the artist's
impression of the piano 'as it appeared in his dreams': the piano gradually
assumes the shape of a dog with its mouth being formed from the keyboard and
cover.
Military Technology, Steamships, War, Internationalism,
Politics
Responds to a telegram announcing that the Russian government wishes other
countries to limit their use of projectiles to torpedoes. Punch points
out that since a torpedo is not a projectile the latter will fall into disuse,
and that this would enable the Russians to sail ironclads in safety.
Written from the perspective of Britannia, this laments the nation's
dwindling status as a military power. The narrator recalls the time when she
could build ships that outstripped those of 'all other people', but looks
enviously 'all around' at other nations' ironclads, prompting her to question
whether her ships 'excel, or fail, / For defence, or for attack, or
locomotion'. Describess the deficiencies of her ships—the slow ones which
'lag', and the fast ones which 'roll so in rough weather' and cannot fire a
shot. Blames this sorry situation on 'those old Bunglers at Whitehall', and
urges them to 'charter
COWPER
COLESColes, Cowper Phipps
(1819–70)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>'—otherwise foreign ironclads will 'Beat
JOHN BULL upon the sea'.
Discusses a new machine for cutting hair. Considers the advantages of this
over attending barber's shops and notes that the machine will give users the
appearance of 'the immortal hatter'.
Education, Lecturing, Language, Wonder, Microscopy, Pollution,
Spiritualism, Industry
In this chapter, the manservant William Nutt explains how he was
'apprenticed to a lecturer at the
PolytechnicRoyal Polytechnic Institution
CloseView the register entry >>' where he 'acquired
that scientific knowledge' which made him 'extremely happy', and where he
'mastered that clear and lucid style' of explaining the 'wonders of nature' and
the marvels of the microscope. Adds that he has given his employer, Grace
Marchmont, a survey of all the topics covered in the Polytechnic lectures,
including the creatures in the Thames water drop, spiritualism, 'glass-blowing
for the tails of peacocks, and the diving-bell'. (266) Proceeds to explain his
experience as an aeronaut.
Government, Politics, Telegraphy, Electricity, Progress, Cultural
Geography, Railways, Transport
Describes the debate on the proposed bill to put the telegraph system into
government hands. Notes that the bill was opposed by
George LeemanLeeman, George
(1809–82)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>
'for the Companies' who Punch thinks only wanted to 'extort' money from
the nation. Leeman claimed that the government would be reading 'our messages'
and that it was also 'averse to improvements in electrical science'. Mocks the
latter claim on the basis that companies 'never introduce any improvements' and
that 'our Telegrams are the worst in Europe' and are not mechanically printed
as in America. Later discusses a bill that would prevent railway companies
extorting money from the public.
A response to proposals to amalgamate the
Ethnological
SocietyEthnological Society of London
CloseView the register entry >> and the
Anthropological SocietyAnthropological Society of London
CloseView the register entry >>, and the
bewildering number of 'ologies' with which they are associated. Begins by
describing the differences and similarities between the societies, noting that
the Anthropological Society 'contains / Believers in Phrenology' although both
use 'old remains / Unearthed by new geology', both clash with 'popular
theology' and 'smash / The old received chronology', and both exploit
physiology and philology. Explains that their subject matter is closely
'allied' with zoology, and that it embraces '"Our poor relations", apes' as
well as palaeontology. Concludes by stressing that members of the societies
'dispute / This precious genealogy' and their 'own analogy', but expects
Thomas H
HuxleyHuxley, Thomas Henry
(1825–95)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> will urge the societies to unite to 'cease their alogy'.
Discusses the new women's fashion for wearing coleopetera, including a range
of beetles worn on the head. Anticipates that other insects might be worn.
Discusses a proposal to place a 'regular galvanic apparatus, and a small
Rhumkorff coil' in a woman's chignon, where is would attract 'the sparks' and
produce the 'requisite flutter in the body of the bird' and in the human
heart.
Military Technology, Experiment, Steamships, War, Nationalism,
Cultural Geography, Government, Politics
Begins by suggesting that the song 'Rule Britannia' will have to be changed
after a report in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
which describes the instability (and therefore vulnerability) of British
ironclads. Believes that only 'miracles' will make the ironclads 'effective
against turret ones', and questions the continuing production of such unsteady
and expensive ships. Supports The Times's attack on the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >> for this
sorry situation and considers that the Admiralty Board has proved to be more
costly and wasteful than the useless ships it has sanctioned. Concludes by
hoping that the next session of
ParliamentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >> will witness
measures reforming the Admiralty.