Betty Bacon Blunt’s 1941 wordless novel, Oh, Doctor!, with 48 coloured line drawings, is an auto-biographical, humorous look, poking fun at the indignities of being a patient.
While pre-1960 wordless novels predominantly tackle grim social realism, Blunt’s work departs from this tradition with a noticeably lighter tone. Although some might question whether these stories belong on a site focused on the genre, this site takes an inclusive approach: if a work meets the strict definition of a wordless story, it belongs here, regardless of its mood.
Story Arc
The narrative follows a linear, comedic trajectory from initial diagnosis, to testing, to operating procedures, to recovery, and walking out of the hospital only to trip at the exit and suffer a foot injury requiring a further hospital stay.
Auto-biographical
There is very little information about Betty Bacon Blunt on the internet or elsewhere. If anyone has information or copies of interviews given by Blunt please contact this site so it can be added (with credit to you).
Betty Bacon Blunt’s four wordless novels all have the feel of being based, at least in part, on her life. With Oh Doctor! there are some concrete clues. One copy of her book has an inscription to William Bullitt (a former American diplomat, journalist, and novelist) and a hand-drawn illustration by Blunt on the inside cover.
on the inside front cover of her wordless novel, Oh Doctor!.
Blunt’s inscription, in part reads, “Knowing what you are going thru — my deepest feelings”.
Also, the very last image in the novel shows her in a hospital bed after she tripped exiting the hospital.
the last page of her wordless novel, Oh Doctor!.
The wording at the top of the last page read, “This happened–was back in for two weeks!!”.
Metal spiral vs plastic comb binding
Two versions of Oh Doctor! were published, both with the same date and the contents appear to be identical. Both have the same dust jacket. The only difference is that one has a plastic comb binding and the other has a metal spiral binding. There is nothing to indicate if one was done before the other or the reason for the differences. They were both priced at $1.00.
Oh Doctor! with a wire spiral binding and its covers.
NOTE: the splotches (foxing?) on the covers is a defect.
Oh Doctor! with a plastic comb binding and its covers.
Condition issues
Foxing? A number of copies with either the plastic comb binding or the wire spiral binding have extensive spotting (looks similar to foxing) on the front and back covers, and, to some extent, it appears on the inside of the dust jacket (this can be seen on the cover of the copy with a wire binding above). The interior pages do not seem to be affected.
Dust Jacket
1941 wordless novel Oh, Doctor.
The dust jacket on the plastic comb version is identical to that on the copy with a wire spiral binding.
Note: as a general rule, it is very unusual to see a dust jacket on a book with either a plastic comb or a wire spiral binding.
Bibliographic details common to both versions
Title: Oh Doctor!: The Book with a Bedside Manner
Author: Betty Bacon Blunt
Illustrator: Betty Bacon Blunt
Introduction: comments on the flaps
Date of publication: 1941
ISBN: not applicable
Publisher: A Cider Press Book published by Stephen Daye Press
Place of publication: Brattleboro, Vermont
Printer: General Printing Company
Copyright: Artist?
Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.25 inches; H 21.8cm x L 18.5cm.
Dust jacket: Yes – designed by the artist
Binding: two versions – metal spiral bindings or plastic comb binding
Boards: Stiff color illustrated wraps
Language: English titles, etc
Paginated: unpaginated
Printed: recto on thick paper
Edition: Trade only
Lithos of original drawings
Description:
- Title page + 48 leaves (images printed recto only) 1 leaf is a double-page foldout
- Black line drawings with parts of the lines augmented with a blue shadow line. Portions are filled in with blue, orange, and in a few cases black (eg nurse’s stockings are sometimes filled in with black).
- no text or captions.
- both the metal and plastic bindings use the same dust jacket with color pictorial front and rear panels
1941 wordless story, Oh, Doctor!
wordless story, Oh Doctor!, with the first
image of the story on the right-hand page.
wordless novel, Oh, Doctor! showing the patient
in the operating theatre.
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