Life and character of the celebrated Mr. Martin Van Butchell, surgeon dentist and fistula curer, of Mount-street, Berkeley-square.

Date:
[1803]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Life and character of the celebrated Mr. Martin Van Butchell, surgeon dentist and fistula curer, of Mount-street, Berkeley-square. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    remarkable, and |>oints out his astonisliing propensity to every thing in direct opposition to ether persons ; that is, be gives them the choice of the two extremes, ot black and white in clothes; and after they have made it, will not suffer tliom to wear an}'^ thing else.—His first wife chose black ; his present Avife, white, which she always a])pears in.—He also, it is said, makes it an invariable rule to dine by himself, and for his Avife and children also to dine by thenaselves.—It is added also to be his common custom to call his children by no other method than Avhistling. Respecting the management of Mr. Van Butchell’s latter AA'ife, an anecdote singularly characteristic of the man is in circulation. This gcntlcAvoman, it is said, when lie kept an housekeeper after the death of his first Avife, Avas origi- nally a servant under her; .and finding the temjier of her superior exti'emely unpleasant and difficult to please, at Length took an opportunity of informing her master of tire circumstance, and also of hinting her intention to quit his service. To remedy this, Mr. Van Butchell, it appears^ replied in a fcAv Avords; saying, that if she thought proper only to take a AA’alk with liim, lie AA'ould effectually put aai end to all occasion of complaint. This tlie young woimm promised, and accoi'dingly, instead of a simple walk merely for recreation or conA^erse, lier master Avho had prev-. viously paid a visit to Doctors’ Commons, led lier to the altar, and made lier his lawful Avife. The cream of tills business, howe\'er, was still to come.—Upon their retma home, the lady of the house, vi bo had not the least con- ception of Avhat had happened, began, as it is phrased, upon the young Avoman like a fury, for going out with- out leave, and leaving her mistress to get the breakfast ready. The young Avoman, no doubt, instructed liow to act, soon allayed the thunder-siorin, by another clap, which at once both silenced and astonished her antagonist; ia tcilmg her to Avalk out of the parlour, as she was then no longer