The doctor as the main character of a novel is largely a phenomenon of the 1900s. Noting the great popularity of the doctor novel and its contribution to literature, the author of this study characterizes and examines a significant subtype—the medical research novel, whose protagonist is the doctor or medical student searching for answers to underlying medical questions or for cures or pain relief through research. Through close examination of seven novels and citations from eleven others, the author illustrates how this subtype of literature deals with basic psychological, moral, and metaphysical questions as well as medical and scientific ones.