THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
175
Allen and Mr. Bob Sawyer appear1 as the roysterous pair of
medical students—"sawbones in trainin'," Mr. Weller styled
them—whose acquaintance Mr. Pickwick made at Muggleton on
Christmas morning. Allen was not an inviting character, as
portrayed by Dickens, who describes him as
a coarse, stout, thick-set young man, with black hair, cut rather short, and a
white face, cut rather long. He was embellished with spectacles, and wore a
white neckerchief. Below his single-breasted black surtout, which was
buttoned up to his chin, appeared the usual number of pepper-and-salt coloured
legs, terminating in a pair of imperfectly-polished boots. Although his coat
was short in the sleeves, it disclosed no vestige of a linen wristband;
and, although there was quite enough of his face to admit of the encroachment
of a shirt collar, it was not graced by the smallest approach to that appendage.
He presented altogether rather a mildewy appearance and emitted a fragrant
odour of full-flavoured Cubas.
Let us hope that this description was purely imaginary. One
cannot suppose that it fitted, in any way, our worthy Braintree
doctor, the friend of Ray.
Yet that Dr. Benjamin Allen, of Braintree, was the original
whom Dickens had in mind seems certain. It is impossible to
suppose that Dickens's use of the name in question as that of a
medical man can have been a mere coincidence. One is driven,
therefore, to conclude that Dickens had heard, in some way, of
Dr. Benjamin Allen, of Braintree, as he very well might have
done through seeing his name on the title page of one or other
of Allen's published works. The fact that he did so, if not
of great importance, is at least interesting.
No portrait of Allen exists, so far as I have been able to
ascertain.
THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB—REPORTS OF
MEETINGS.
THE 278th ORDINARY MEETING.
Saturday, 29TH January 1910.
THE Third Meeting of the Winter Session was held in the Physical Lecture
Theatre of the Municipal Technical Institute, Stratford, at 6 o'clock,
Mr. John Avery, V.P., in the chair.
New Members.—The following were elected members :—
Somerville Hastings, F.R.C.S., &c., 51, Cavendish Street, Portland
Place, W.
Miss J. S. Lister, Leytonstone.
Frank B. Skerrett, M.D. (School Medical Officer, West Ham), 37, Windsor
Road, Forest Gate, E.
Pikwick. chap. 30. (1836).