“My interest in Henry had always been primarily intellectual; how else would I explain why I had stood on a chair in the basement of Mass. General, ecstatic to see his brain removed expertly from his skull? My role as a scientist had always been perfectly clear to me.” This was no time for sentiment or reflection.
How terrible that a man who had been so wronged by "science" had a caretaker that viewed him more as an intellectual pursuit than a person who had just passed without anyone by his side that truly loved him. While I understand the remarkable learning that came about as a result of this man volunteering his life to science, you would hope that there is another part of the story that wasn't written about the people around him that truly mourned his passing.
I guess you could argue after a few hours he wouldn't care any more either because he didn't remember it. I was hoping that ultimately he wasn't just a science experiment to the people that surrounded him and that he was treated accordingly.
No it wasn't the end result he was going for. But to say that the patient was wronged because of it is a grave injustice to the doctor who worked hard to get it right. Firstly, the patient must have been described the possible risks. Even back then, we knew that messing with the brain could screw up a lot. Secondly, it is tough to ascertain whether his life would have been any better with the pain of those seizures. His ability to live a normal life was already impaired.
“My interest in Henry had always been primarily intellectual; how else would I explain why I had stood on a chair in the basement of Mass. General, ecstatic to see his brain removed expertly from his skull? My role as a scientist had always been perfectly clear to me.” This was no time for sentiment or reflection.
How terrible that a man who had been so wronged by "science" had a caretaker that viewed him more as an intellectual pursuit than a person who had just passed without anyone by his side that truly loved him. While I understand the remarkable learning that came about as a result of this man volunteering his life to science, you would hope that there is another part of the story that wasn't written about the people around him that truly mourned his passing.