The Dash of Dr. Todd

Forty-three years doesn’t seem like a long life lived, and regardless of Daniel Todd’s opinion of himself, he added value to his fictional world and those who came into contact with him. Massachusetts native, Daniel graduated from Harvard Medical School and embarked on a meaningful journey to San Francisco with plans to open a practice of his own. Aboard the Southern Cross, Daniel felt satisfaction and independence from his reverend father, but the feeling didn’t last long; disaster struck the Southern Cross and the ship foundered, leaving Daniel as the only survivor floating among the wreckage. While overcoming incredibly challenging obstacles, Daniel is able to survive and ultimately thrive.

The Dash of Dr. Todd is a symbol, figuratively and literally. The dash represents Daniel Todd’s life as a whole and the unbelievable journey that takes him aboard a whaler, and eventually California, while aiding patients to his full capacity. Love found and lost, disasters, and victories and failures encompass the entirety of his humanitarian existence. Making friends and enemies along the way, Daniel ironically finds a close friend in the Reverend Simon Edwards whom challenges Todd’s most important questions of the existence of a supreme being that will constantly plague him until the end of his days. Daniel’s life was a sum of its parts: some moments were great, others were heartbreaking, but, overall, his life and practice healed and helped the suffering.

Comprehensively written, The Dash of Dr. Todd, was an effortless read spanning the lifetime of an ordinary man possessing extraordinary talent. The narrative could seem biographical considering Adkins is also a graduate of Harvard Medical School and retired Ophthalmologist, but, in fact, it is a complete work of fiction. Being medically ignorant, the material was comprehensible and will appeal to medical and non-medical readers alike. Howard Adkins created a respectable, authentic, and relatable character in Dr. Todd that the reader will easily share in his disappointment, loss, and joy.