The Story of Doctor Dolittle

Content Warning: This section of the guide describes and discusses the source text’s treatment of colonialist attitudes, which it portrays in a positive light, and its outdated and offensive depictions of Indigenous Africans, which rely on racist stereotypes.

Through the adventures of Doctor Dolittle, a compassionate veterinarian who learns to talk to animals, Lofting explores empathy, moral responsibility, and the importance of treating animals with kindness. Doctor Dolittle’s proactive stance against animal cruelty and commitment to providing a haven for mistreated animals embody the narrative’s central theme of ethical animal care.

In Chapter 3, Doctor Dolittle encounters an Italian organ-grinder with a mistreated monkey in poor condition, wearing a tight collar. Recognizing the monkey’s suffering, Dolittle intervenes, offering to buy the animal from its abusive owner:

[T]he Doctor [sees] at once that the monkey’s collar [is] too tight and that he [is] dirty and unhappy. So he [takes] the monkey away from the Italian, [gives] the man a shilling, and [tells] him to keep the money. But the Doctor [tells] him that if he [doesn’t] go away, he [will] punch him on the nose. John Dolittle [is] a strong man, though he [isn’t] very tall. So the Italian [goes] away saying rude things, and the monkey stay[s] with Doctor Dolittle and [has] a good home (20).