Middlemarch, Chapter 45 summary

What happens

1. Mrs. Dollop spreads suspicions about hospital deaths and dissection, while patients and doctors misunderstand Lydgate’s refusal to profit from dispensing drugs.
2. Nancy Nash’s recovery and Borthrop Trumbull’s treatment strengthen Lydgate’s reputation, although praise often rests on mistaken beliefs.
3. Bulstrode gives Lydgate medical control at the fever hospital, and every local doctor refuses a visiting appointment.
4. Farebrother advises Lydgate to remain independent of Bulstrode and avoid financial trouble, prompting thoughts of his existing debts.
5. At home, Lydgate describes Vesalius’s struggles, but Rosamond responds by wishing her husband followed a different profession.

In this chapter

What to notice

Farebrother turns his own financial weakness into practical advice. Lydgate receives it warmly but reassures himself rather than closely examining his debts.

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