The novel Arrowsmith (1924), by Sinclair Lewis looks at the experiences of a central hero named Martin Arrowsmith and his pursuit of a medical career. Lewis uses his book to examine several historical trends and controversies in the medical profession at the turn of the nineteenth century. More specifically, at the time Martin Arrowsmith is beginning his training to become a doctor, he must grapple with the dilemma of whether to pursue pure scientific research which many established doctors and medical educators dismiss as nonprofitable and too isolated from the actual treatment of patients. Thus, the central theme of this novel is the hero’s struggle to come to terms with the conflict, between pure scientific research or the pursuit of greater profits through the care of patients, which consumed the late nineteenth and early twentieth century medical .