📖 Tom Sawyer – Chapter 18: Tom Becomes a Doctor

The long summer days continued, full of play, quarrels, and forgiveness. Tom and Becky were friends again, and Tom felt proud of his bravery. But soon, a new kind of excitement appeared in Tom’s restless mind.

At school, the children often whispered about doctors. A doctor was a mysterious figure who knew strange secrets, cured sickness, and carried shiny instruments. Tom thought being a doctor must be the greatest thing in the world.

One afternoon, Tom met Joe Harper in the yard. “Joe,” he said, “let’s be doctors.”

Joe’s eyes lit up. “Yes! But we don’t have medicines or tools.”

Tom smiled. “We can make our own. I saw Aunt Polly give Sid a spoonful of something bitter yesterday. We’ll make medicines from roots and powders and heal people.”

The boys began their “practice” at once. They crushed flowers, mixed water with chalk dust, and stirred the strange potions in broken bottles. They even used mud, calling it “healing clay.”

At first, their patients were only stray cats and dogs. But soon the boys turned their attention to themselves. Tom gave Joe a spoonful of the muddy mixture. Joe swallowed bravely, then made a face and cried, “It tastes worse than Aunt Polly’s medicine!”

Tom laughed and tried some himself. His stomach churned, and he lay on the ground, groaning loudly. “It works! Doctors must always test their cures,” he said weakly.

The next day, they discovered a new experiment. Tom brought a dead frog he had found by the river. “Doctors study dead things to learn about life,” he explained. With great seriousness, the boys cut the frog open using a pocketknife. They examined its tiny bones and organs as though they were real scientists.

Their classmates soon heard about Tom and Joe’s experiments. Some were frightened, but others were impressed. Becky wrinkled her nose when she saw the frog, but she secretly admired Tom’s courage.

Unfortunately, their fun ended quickly. The schoolmaster discovered the dead frog hidden in Tom’s desk. His face grew red with anger. “Thomas Sawyer!” he thundered. “Is this your doing?”

Tom gulped. He wanted to lie, but then he remembered Becky’s smile when he had taken the blame for her before. Gathering courage, he stood up. “Yes, sir. It was mine.”

The master gave Tom a sharp punishment with the switch, and the children giggled behind their hands. But Tom did not mind too much. For the rest of the day, he was a hero once again.

That evening, Tom told Huck Finn about his adventure. Huck laughed and said, “You’ll never be a real doctor, Tom. Real doctors go to school for years.”

Tom’s eyes shone with excitement. “Maybe one day, Huck. Maybe one day.”

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📘 Glossary

• Quarrels – small arguments or fights

• Restless – unable to stay still, always looking for something new

• Potions – mixtures, often thought to have magical or healing powers

• Churned – moved or shook unpleasantly (like a sick stomach)

• Groaning – making a low sound of pain

• Experiment – a scientific test or trial

• Organs – parts inside the body, like heart or lungs

• Wrinkled her nose – made a face of dislike or disgust

• Switch – a thin stick used for punishment

• Hero – someone admired for courage or brave actions

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. What new idea excited Tom in this chapter?

2. Who did Tom ask to be a doctor with him?

3. What strange ingredients did they use to make medicine?

4. How did Joe react after tasting the mixture?

5. What did the boys study to “learn about life”?

6. How did Becky feel about Tom’s frog experiment?

7. Who found the frog hidden in Tom’s desk?

8. What did Tom do when the teacher asked whose frog it was?

9. How was Tom punished for his actions?

10. What did Tom dream about when talking to Huck Finn?

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✅ Answers

1. The idea of becoming a doctor.

2. Joe Harper.

3. Flowers, chalk dust, water, and mud.

4. He said it tasted worse than Aunt Polly’s medicine.

5. A dead frog.

6. She was disgusted but secretly admired his bravery.

7. The schoolmaster.

8. He admitted it was his.

9. He was punished with the switch.

10. He dreamed of becoming a real doctor one day.