Who finds the ghost in Heidi?

The ghost is Heidi, walking in her sleep. The doctor sits up with Herr Sesemann to watch, and he explains what is wrong.

Why does the doctor send Heidi home?

He says she is sleepwalking and badly homesick, so something must be done at once. He advises that she go home to the mountain.

Does the doctor visit the Alps?

Yes. He goes in the autumn, because Clara cannot travel yet. He meets Alm-Uncle, enjoys the mountain, and later moves to Dorfli.

From Heidi

Doctor Classen

Family doctor • Wise and gentle

The kind Frankfurt doctor who sees that Heidi is homesick for her mountains.

Who is Doctor Classen?

Doctor Classen is the Sesemann family’s kind doctor, with silver hair and gentle eyes. He helps solve the mystery of the open front door at night, understands that Heidi is deeply homesick for her mountain, and insists she must go home. Later, carrying a sorrow of his own, he visits the Alps, where Heidi’s joy helps him smile again.

Doctor Classen is a character in Heidi, the 1881 novel by Johanna Spyri, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Doctor Classen like?

wise
gentle
caring

Doctor Classen’s story

The doctor is an old friend of Herr Sesemann and a regular visitor to the big house in Frankfurt. He is warm and humorous, and he is not afraid to laugh at the idea of a haunted house. When servants report a white figure at the open front door each night, he agrees to sit up with Herr Sesemann and find out the truth.

The truth turns out to be Heidi, walking in her sleep. The doctor can see that the child is homesick and worn out with longing for the mountain. He tells Herr Sesemann, plainly and gently, that she must go home at once, and the family arranges it at once.

Later, with Clara too weak to travel that year, the doctor takes her place and journeys to the Alps with her messages. He arrives feeling lonely, and Heidi’s joyful welcome brightens his face. He spends sunny autumn days walking with her and with the grandfather, learning from the old man, and the mountain does him real good. By the end he is having a house in Dorfli rebuilt for himself.

“The doctor’s face brightened as if a sudden ray of sunshine had passed across it”

Johanna Spyri, the narrator, when Heidi thanks him for sending her home. From the original 1881 novel by Johanna Spyri.

A moment to remember

Holding up his lantern in the dark hallway, the doctor discovers that the “ghost” is only little Heidi, walking in her sleep.

Heidi: patient he sends home
Clara Sesemann: patient
Fräulein Rottenmeier: housekeeper he calms down
Alm-Uncle: new friend on the mountain

Talk about it

Doctor Classen listened carefully to find out why Heidi was sad. Who listens to you when you feel sad?

Questions about Doctor Classen

Who finds the ghost in Heidi?: The ghost is Heidi, walking in her sleep. The doctor sits up with Herr Sesemann to watch, and he explains what is wrong.
Why does the doctor send Heidi home?: He says she is sleepwalking and badly homesick, so something must be done at once. He advises that she go home to the mountain.
Does the doctor visit the Alps?: Yes. He goes in the autumn, because Clara cannot travel yet. He meets Alm-Uncle, enjoys the mountain, and later moves to Dorfli.