Doctor Dolittle or too dull. The stories are set in early Victorian England, where Doctor John Dolittle lives in the fictional English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh in the West Country. Doctor Dolittle has a few close human friends, including Tommy Stubbins and Matthew Mugg, the Cats'-Meat Man. The animal team includes Polynesia (a parrot), Gub-Gub (a pig), Jip (a dog), Dab-Dab (a duck), Chee-Chee (a monkey), Too-Too (an owl), the Pushmi-pullyu, and a white mouse later named simply "Whitey". One inspiration for his character appears to be the Scottish surgeon John Hunter. "The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar
Mary Marsh lives in London. Mary Marsh Dame Mary Elizabeth Marsh (born 17 August 1946) is non-executive director of HSBC Bank plc and member of the governing body at London Business School. She is chair of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) board of trustees. Marsh is the daughter of George Donald Falconer and his wife, Lesley Mary "née" Wilson. She was born in Merseyside, attending Birkenhead High School and then the University of Nottingham, where she graduated with a BSc in Geography. She later obtained a DipEd from Hatfield Polytechnic, and an MBA from the London Business School.