Terrible Tractoration, and Other Poems

"Terrible Tractoration, and Other Poems" by Thomas Green Fessenden is a collection of satirical poems that mock old-fashioned medical practices of the time. It follows Dr. Christopher Caustic, a strange doctor who is full of ambition, as he tries to gain popularity for his scientific creations and ideas. Hilarious poems comment on medical practices, especially the debated use of metallic tractors that many did not think worked. It starts by introducing Dr. Caustic who complains about his bad luck as he tries to be both a poem writer and a scientist in a world that seems to care more about fake cures than real medicine. He thinks back on his past wins and the money issues that made him start writing poems for a living. This beginning is a starting point for Caustic's various speeches and complaints about the foolishness of current medicine and society, while also making his character both a forward thinker and a character of funniness in the world of medical science. The tone is cheery but also critical, encouraging readers to discover a world of foolishness and irony through funny poems.