# Almus Pickerbaugh — Arrowsmith character guide > Almus Pickerbaugh in Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Doc Pickerbaugh, Pickerbaugh, Dr. Pickerbaugh, Doc **First appearance:** 0022-i ## Snapshot An exuberant public health booster and political climber, Doc Pickerbaugh turns disease prevention into a cheerful civic crusade complete with slogans and sons. ## Who they are Pickerbaugh is the booming, backslapping health officer of Nautilus, a man who believes in publicity, poetry, and the moral uplift of the American town. He offers Martin a job and a template for a comfortable, useful, thoroughly compromised career, complete with a large family and a genius for committees. His relentless optimism is both genuinely effective and faintly absurd, and he forces Martin to ask whether saving lives and selling health can ever be the same work. ## Relationships ### [Martin Arrowsmith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/characters/martin_arrowsmith) _professional_ Almus Pickerbaugh is Martin's bombastic, politically ambitious boss at the Nautilus health department, whose showmanship conflicts with Martin's scientific integrity. ### [Martin Arrowsmith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/characters/martin_arrowsmith) _professional_ Almus Pickerbaugh is Martin's bombastic, politically ambitious boss at the Nautilus health department, whose showmanship conflicts with Martin's scientific integrity. ### [Martin Arrowsmith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/characters/martin_arrowsmith) _professional_ Almus Pickerbaugh is Martin's bombastic, politically ambitious boss at the Nautilus health department, whose showmanship conflicts with Martin's scientific integrity. ## In the story ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/xiii) Pickerbaugh is mentioned as a public health official whose approach contrasts with Martin's scientific ideals. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/xiv) Pickerbaugh is Martin's boss and a public health official who is running for Congress. He is energetic, idealistic, and deeply involved in community health campaigns. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/xv) Martin's boss, enthusiastic about public health and politics, but Martin finds him superficial. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/xvi) Pickerbaugh is Martin's boss, a flamboyant public health official who runs for Congress, embodying the commercial and political side of medicine. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/xvii) Pickerbaugh is Martin's energetic and politically minded boss, leading public health campaigns with a focus on publicity rather than scientific rigor. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/xviii) Pickerbaugh is Martin's boss, a flamboyant public health official whose methods prioritize publicity and politics over genuine scientific rigor. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/i) Not directly mentioned in this chapter. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/ii) Director of Public Health in Nautilus, Iowa, who offers Martin the assistant position. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/xix) Dr. Pickerbaugh is Martin's energetic and politically-minded boss, whose approach to public health emphasizes publicity and social reform over rigorous science. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/ii) Director of Public Health; greets Martin with bombastic speeches and shows off his self-promotional materials. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iii) Outlines Martin's extensive and varied duties as a public health officer, showing his energetic but scattered approach. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iv) Hosts Martin and Leora with a lengthy speech about health, his family, and his 'Healthette Octette,' showcasing his flamboyant and self-promotional style. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/i) Pickerbaugh is described as a generous but scientifically thin chief, eager for Martin to champion causes and movements. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/ii) Drafts Martin into associations; considered a protégé; a compulsion to respectability. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as the head of the public health department who uses poems for publicity; Martin considers learning from him. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iv) Owns the log cabin and organizes the outing; present but not central to the action. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/i) Inventor of numerous health-themed Weeks in Nautilus, including Better Babies Week, Banish the Booze Week, and Swat the Fly Week. Writes a circular letter for the State Convention of Health Officers and Agencies that is criticized as 'undignified' but defended by others. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/ii) Defends his campaigns with fervor and personal touchiness, rejecting Martin's criticisms about accuracy and variables. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iii) Pickerbaugh is mentioned as Martin's superior, who underestimates the time needed for Martin's research. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as Orchid's father; his absence allows the flirtation to develop. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/i) Pickerbaugh is nominated for Congress after a successful Chautauqua tour and is celebrated in a national magazine. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/ii) Campaigning for Congress; initially dismissive of Martin's concerns but eventually calls in an expert. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iii) Pickerbaugh is mentioned critically by both Martin and Tredgold; Martin imitates his oratorical style, and Tredgold dismisses him as 'Salvation Pickerbaugh'. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iv) Pickerbaugh is mentioned as the subject of Martin's imitations and as a figure in the Group's social dynamics. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/v) Pickerbaugh tells Martin his work is satisfactory but criticizes his lack of enthusiasm for teamwork. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/i) Organizes the Health Fair and uses it to boost his congressional campaign; heroically manages a fire and panic. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/ii) Runs for Congress as a health reform candidate and wins, promising Martin the Director of Public Health position. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iii) Resigns as director to run for Congress, having won the election as the first scientist ever elected to Congress. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iv) Leaves for Washington amid a festive public send-off; makes an emotional, tearful speech to the crowd. ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/i) Former director; his inspirational and eloquent style is contrasted with Martin's more scientific approach. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as having enjoyed power without using it, contrasting with Martin's approach. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iii) Absent in Washington, fails to return to help Martin despite earlier promises. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/v) Writes a letter from Washington expressing disappointment in Martin's resignation and accusing him of commercialism. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/xxv) Pickerbaugh is Martin's superior in Nautilus, representing the pragmatic, politically-minded side of public health work. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/i) Mentioned in contrast to the Chicago clinic; Martin had previously fought his environment under Pickerbaugh. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/i) Mentioned in Martin's thoughts as someone he damns along with Bert Tozer and Tubbs. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/v) Sends a congratulatory telegram to Martin from Washington. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/chapters/iv) Dining with the President of the United States, being considered for a cabinet position as Secretary of Health and Eugenics. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/characters/almus_pickerbaugh - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/arrowsmith_se/characters