The Pox Party

Octavian is an African boy, son of an African princess. Upon his birth he is submitted into a study that tests the limits to his knowledge and education. He is raised differently from all other children and is motivated by his instructors to learn and attain vast amounts of information, which seem far beyond the capacities of a boy his age. After some time, the funding of the experiment led by Mr. Gitney (03-01) is received from a new sponsor and the methods of the experiments are changed. The experiment is now led by a Mr. Sharpe who chooses to have Octavian trained by Bono to behave and act as a traditional slave. All of Octavian's previous studies are discarded with the exception of Greek and Latin. The goal of Mr. Sharpe's experiment, as stated on page 169 is to prove "the inequality of African capacities." Mr Sharpe wants to prove that Africans are not as capable as whites to learn equally challenging material. He wants to prove that they are born to be slaves and nothing else. "For the child to have a spine, his back must first be broken." This line on page 170, referring to Africans, is saying that Africans must be put to work in order to be, in a sense, human.

I feel that the stories that Dr. Trefusis has Octavian read is his way of trying to tell Octavian to run away and/or revolt as many infamous slaves have done in the past such as Spartacus. Dr. Trefusis wants Octavian to know how much better off slaves were many years before and how poorly he was treated today in comparison. Those slaves that Octavian learned of had privileges and responsibilities that actually had a greater value besides hard labor. They used for their minds, rather than their muscle.

Mr. Gitney infecting people with pox reminds me of when we talked about (I believe it was) John Hunter who infected himself with gonorrhea in order to study it. A very unusual and disgusting method, but a fine way to obtain specimens nonetheless.

In the last pages of our required reading we learn that Octavian's mom dies of her pox infection and is dissected by scientists. Before her death, her features can not be distinguished as hers due to the severity of her infections. Upon the dissection of his mother, Octavian bursts into the room with his mom open on the table and he begins to attack Mr. Sharpe. Octavian then runs away from the house and is sought after by Mr. Gitney's brother for a prize of five pounds.

Octavians mom was infected with pox by Mr. Gitney, which led to her death. Was her death planned by Mr. Gitney and/or Mr. Sharpe in order to end the experimentation of Octavian knowing that he would run away?

Towards the end of our assigned reading, we learn that Mr. Gitney had loved Cassiopeia all along. If this is true, why did he choose to infect her with pox?


I apologize for the lateness of my entry. I had not yet finished the reading as of 5:00PM this evening.

The Pox Party

The royal life that it appeared Octavian had soon took a turn. Octavian and his mother were treated well by 03-01 thinking that they were prince and princess, pure royalty.  Octavian was well educated and raised with the idea that this was the perfect life for him. Growing up in a house with many other people was normal to him and he thought nothing of it, but, the truth was soon to come out. Octavian was part of an experiment to see if both African Americans and Europeans given the same education would have the same success in life. Most of the people he grew up with we're scientists partaking in the experiment testing out different theories. The questions raised is whether or not the experimental upbringing of Octavian was moral or immoral and if the men that originally raised Octavian were considered to be the medical madmen. When a scientist experiments, most procedures are to be moral, in a way that one is not harmed or affected in a negative way. Receiving high education and high musical talent on the violin, Octavian seemed to be unharmed. But when the pox party was introduced by the scientists to save others from the smallpox epidemic Octavian was hurt in more ways than one. After the attendees of the pox party were infected by the virus in hopes of saving themselves, the harm began. With the death of his mother from the injection, and the many scientists of the house dissecting her death, Octavian found himself fleeing the college house, angry, landing in the colonial army. Octavian may not have been physically affected or hurt by the experimenters, he was definitely affected indirectly. Losing your mother to a treatment that was supposed to work for the better is one of the hardest things to go through. Being effected in the way of needing to flee to the army to escape shows a meaning of pain. Moral experiments do not harm others or their surroundings, immoral ones do. Though some experiments seem immoral and make the scientists look as though they are the medical madmen, they are not as mad as we think. The definition of a madman is someone who is or acts insane. 03-01 treats Octavian and his mother like royalty until funding is lost, then Sharpe is in control of Octavian and his mother showing more of a madmen appearance who only wants proof that Africans are inferior to keep his southern plantation owners happy.

Octavian's Transformation

My initial observation of 03-01 and the others performing the experiments on Octavian, was that they were the typical antagonists "Mad Doctors." It wasn't until I found out about Octavian's race that I realized the "Mad Doctors" were not the typical antagonists, but the protagonists. Although they treated him and his mother well and somewhat like royalty and not as slaves, they were still the "Mad Doctors." Their abnormal experiments became obvious once they got to Boston and Octavian realized how different he was compared to the other Africans he saw. He and his mother were the only ones not being used as typical slaves until Lord Cheldthorpe of New Creation had them whipped because of the altercation between him and Octavian's mother. 03-01 although not approving of this event, had to hold his tongue because he needed Lord Cheldthorpe's financial backing for his experiments. This is when Sharpe came into the picture and changed everything. Sharpe did away with the numerical system of hierarchy 03-01 created and in turn changed all of their experimentation being done on Octavian to what he thought was necessary. Sharpe turned Octavian into a typical slave. He was forced to do the everyday chores of a slave. Taking and learning from Bono, and playing the violin, were his only escape from Sharpe's control.

Pox Party

 

As the book progresses up to page 159, Octavian begins to learn some hard truths. At the end of page 41 Octavian first learns of the status of him and his mother as purchased African American slaves. From that moment forward his views of himself and his white teachers change. Not long after Octavian first realizes his situation, Lord Cheldthorpe comes to visit the College of Lucidity. Lord Cheldthorpe is visiting the college to determine whether to continue to fund the operations of the college. He soon takes a liking to Octavian’s mother, but when he confronts her and asks to have her join him back in England, she refuses. This refusal resulted in the whipping of Octavian and his mother, something he had never been exposed to before. Things for Octavian get worse with the introduction of Mr. Sharpe, a horrible man, who arrives at Mr. Gitney’s house and immediately begins to shift the mission of the college. He removes the old numerical system in favor of individual names, severely limits Octavian’s readings, and begins him on a regiment of hard manual labor.

Octavian slowly begins to realize that he is no different than the other slaves and starts to identify with them. He forms a particularly strong bond with ‘Bono’. Octavian learns from him how to hide certain aspects of life from his white masters. Bono finds ways to trick his masters into giving him old clothing for instance. He also obtains books and asks Octavian to read then aloud to him after their masters have gone, further cementing their brotherly relationship.

Mr. Gitney approaches the arrival of Mr. Sharpe with mild discontent. Up to the moment that Mr. Sharpe is introduced, Mr. Gitney does not seem to fit the model of the ‘mad doctor’. He treats Octavian and his mother with kindness. Gitney acts as though he is a good man without racial prejudice but he will not speak out against the changes Mr. Sharpe has introduced in the college for fear of the removal of funding. This makes you wonder who is really in control and for what reason are these experiments being done? Furthermore, how would the change in the experiment have any scientific meaning? If the new mission of the experiment is to prove that Africans are only good at manual labor, then how can it be proven if none are given the opportunity of a European education as Octavian previously had?

The Pox Party- hidden questions

This book was very interesting to read. Although the start of the story was kind of normal, I began to view some hidden lines that brought some questions to my mind. It started with a boy who lives in a house with everything within his reach. He was treated like a prince and lived a great life compared to other kids who lived in the same society. However, it got more complicated when the story took a turn into the "unnamed" people that lived with him and his mother, and the unrelated men who studied all kinds of subjects (from the biology, to art and drawing) that lived in the same house.
Going through the text, you become to realize that Octavian is just a boy who is being experimented on by these men, and led by their boss Mr. Gitney, the owner of the house, also known as 03-01. They conducted a study to compare African kids to kids from high social class to see if the black race is inferior to the European race while under the same social life.
Many questions that came to my mind while reading the text were answered in an indirect way. For instance, the numbers that were given to all the men who worked at the house as well as the guests were designed so the focus the study is completely on Octavian. Also, the way he was treated like a prince so he could be raised exactly like any other kid from the high social class.
Yet, other questions were not so clear like the theme of the  "mad doctor." So far, we know that Mr Gitney is the owner and the head master of this experiment, but it doesn't seems like he has the characteristics of the mad doctor. His physical outlook, the big nose, large head, shaky hands, and the boldness do show him as a mad doctor, yet his personality differs from the general theme of it. He is  respectful, nice, genuine, and never treated Octavian or his mother in any bad way, thus not presenting the real mad doctor picture.
On the other hand, Mr Sharpe's act is much closer to the description of the mad doctor. He abuses Octavian mentally and physically. However, he is not a doctor nor shows any medical knowledge. This idea led me to conclude that the mad doctor here is separated into two characters (Mr. Gitney and Mr. Sharpe).
As far as the similarities to past novels that we read, one of the things that came to my attention was the "forbidden door" downstairs that led to the lab. This reminded me of the same door in Dr. Jekyll's house that led to the other side of the house where Mr. Hyde lived and made his experiments. I think this was one of the first things I noticed that led me to think about the mad doctor theme.

On the Morality of Mr. Gitney on the Novanglian College of Lucidity

First and foremost Octavian and his mother are, under the legal gaze of the English Empire, slaves. They have been bought and paid for and cannot leave the college and enjoy the same freedoms that white colonists enjoyed at the time. When reading the first tens of pages, naturally a hatred grew in me of the curator of this institution, Mr. 03-01 (Mr. Gitney as he is now to be addressed as after the unfortunate arrival of the philistine Mr. Sharpe). The passage that solidified this was on page 11 when, after Cassiopea asserts that Octavian is his son, Mr. Gitney responds “Let us say rather that he belongs to all of us”, (Anderson). Who is this man to make such a claim of another human being, in the presence of this being's mother no less? A slave-owner, someone who partakes in something as detestable as the trade of souls. Needless to say I felt no warm feelings to this person.

That is, however, until after Octavian enters the forbidden room wherein anything measurable he had done was recorded in volumes and is caught. The punishment expected (at least what I was expecting) was a punishment fitting for a slave of that time: a scolding and a beating. This was not the case. Rather, Octavian is subjected to the same punishment 03-01 received as a child. Furthermore, he offers words of hope and encouragement to Octavian: “This, you must understand Octavian, is the true and sublime end of discipline: that you may rise into a new and glorious buoyancy”, (50).

At this point I began to wonder whether or not Mr. Gitney was an evil maniacal 'scientist' who threw cats off scaffolds out of morbid curiosity and boredom, or a genuinely good man who would have done better with the moral compass of a more modern, progressive time (to the extent that racism and slave owning is concerned). He seems genuinely fond of and proud of Octavian, and unhappy at the cruelties he and his mother suffered by the lash and rod of Chedelthorpe. A question I pose is the one I have struggled with: Is Mr. 03-01, and by extension the College, really that bad although they are slave-owners? To be forced by slavery to have a classical education is much preferable to the alternative for African slaves, as Octiavian learns after Mr. Sharpe arrives. Octavian is much more educated than the revolutionaries occupying Boston at the time. Mr. Gitney never beat a customs officer after tarring and covering him with feathers.

In answering this question, one cannot forget Mr. Gitney's cruelness in the beginning of the novel, among others one example being the incident with the poisoned dog. As the novel takes place over years, it seems that Mr. Gitney and the others are indeed “discovering the truth” they wished to seek not from the trivial numbers and figures they collect, not from the sick experiments they forced him to be a subject of, but rather from simply being around Octavian and his mother. This makes me wonder: what can change the nature of a man? Octavian is growing up, and he is learning what it means to be truly a slave. Before the gray rule of Mr. Sharpe, it seemed that he had found friends (at least people who respect him) in his captors. Now he watches Dr. Trefusis helplessly and Dr. Trefusis watches him helplessly as their bastion of art and philosophy is destroyed by the futility of utility. He is learning of revolutions of Rome perpetrated by slaves like himself. What will cause him to change from an Observer to an Artist, what will give him the driving passion? What will change the nature of Octavian Nothing?

Pox Party - Are the Mad Doctors Really the Mad One?

When I started reading the book, I thought that the lords(lead by 03-01) conducting the experiments on Octavian were the mad doctors, and therefore, the "bad people/antagonist." However, after reading the new section, it started to sound as if the lords were the good people/protagonist despite the fact that they are "mad doctors."From the way the lords and teachers treated Octavian and his mother, it was clear that they never treated their subjects poorly, but the introduction of Mr. Sharpe made it more clear. Over the course of the storyline so far, Octavian went from a cherished guinea pig prince in silk to abused personal servant of Mr. Sharpe. He used to be ignorant of his skin color and its meanings and implications, but because of his new standing and treatment in the house enforced by Mr. Sharpe, Octavian started to consider himself more as a Black slave of equal standing as other servants, such as Bono, rather than an important prince.
This was an interesting twist that was not present in the previous texts we have discussed so far in class. In other texts, such as Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde, the mad doctors were the lone wolves of the society that caused harm to other characters. In contrast  in Pox Party, it was the new comer and some one who sounds more like a financial advisor than a mad doctor that is depicted as the harm-inflicting antagonist. Another interesting aspect of this setting is that Mr. Sharpe is not at all going against the society, but instead, enforcing the values of the then-society on the Gitney's College environment, as seen when he declares that learning Greek and Latin philosophy is a waste of time for someone like Octavian, so instead Octavian is forced to do physical work of the servants, such as combing Mr. Sharpe's hair and delivering messages. Changing the College from exclusively secluded society to a more society-adoptable community caused the main characters to suffer, both physically and emotionally. Thus suggesting that the "mad doctors" introduced at the beginning of the book might have been after all, had a better, and healthier environment and morals than rest of the society, raising a question of who actually is the "mad one" and the accuracy of labeling someone "mad" solely based on the comparison of that person with the main stream society.

A Hidden Message by Dr. Trefusis

Octavian begins to make his transition from scholarly prince to common house servant.  Due to the new management of Mr. Sharpe, who believes that the compelling works of Homer, Aristotle, and Plato should not fancy Octavian. Rather he should be taught logic and grammar. Dr. Trefusis strongly disagrees; the doctor believes that Octavian has such a remarkable intellect that taking this course of educational planning would be a waste of talent. Before the transitions are made for his new educational route Dr. Trefusis slips Octavian new historical lain about Roman slavery and slaves who achieved greatness. These literary works were not slipped to Octavian for the sheer sake of translation. Even though Dr. Trefusis does not develop conversation about the text, he knows that Octavian has been trained to be a thinker and a questioner by the academicians. These articles can give Octavian a reason to question his new roles and even branch out against these retched practices of slavery. Even though the intelligence, which has been granted to Octavian, can be considered a positive, the molding of Octavian’s mind is the reason why these academic doctors are considered madmen. Mr. Gitney has been morphing Octavian’s brain not in the way of a parent, who teaches their children values and family culture, but as a mad doctor. He drills him in the advanced sciences and arts, while mysteriously tracking his progress. Allowing the doctors to see if a “savage” human can learn such advanced concepts, which are then published in articles distributed to the academic community. The fault of this practice is Octavian is a living human being; these psychological experiments have taken him away from the real world. The rude awakening of his future has been torturing his body and mind. These events can also be related to the medical treatment inhibited by Dr. Mitchell. His experiments have done more hurt then healing towards women. Mr. Gitney’s experiments seemed to prove a great future for Octavian, they were really only do wonders for his articles. Leaving this boy to be a servant to an ungrateful master Mr. Sharpe. 

Ryan Moen

Biased Scientific Explorations- Phrenology

I had studied Phrenology is multiple courses at MSU, but never read an excerpt that dove into the extremely biased specifics of certain studies. It was initially apparent that the Fowler family played a critical role in the development and popularization of a correlation between the size and shape of a person's head, and their personality and intellect. The sections first analyzed regarding mental health, morality, and character try to explain that the "Brain is the Organ of the Mind." Further noting that the brain is composed of thirty-seven different organs that facilitate mental strengths and weaknesses. These organs are then grouped together in different positions in the human head, and by analyzing the overall shape of the skull, you can determine which "organs" are strong and which are weak. This basis is then expanded upon in a severely biased way.

Human and animal skulls are then compared in shape and size, correlating animalistic behavior to certain traits humans posses. This erroneous science is then further exemplified in the behaviors and intellect of different races, stating, "the Caucasian race is superior in reasoning power and moral elevation to all other races." The contrast of forehead size between Caucasians, Indians, and African Americans supposedly proves phrenological principles and highlights signs of superior intellect and character. These studies are a great example of nineteenth century propaganda, trying to popularize a science that proves the Europeans are the superior or aryan race. Further connections between head and body posture, along with the "Quality of the Brain" is analyzed in great detail.

This text is a great example of the fact the humanity has been, and always will be, extremely judgmental. The reality that a decade of scientific research was dedicated to a completely inaccurate subject says something about what medical doctors were trying to prove. I enjoyed reading this text because it emphasized a type of medical practice different from all of the other "madmen" we have learned about. The extent of this medical pseudoscience raises a question about how our societies' current scientific explorations are going to be thought of in another one-hundred and fifty years from now.

Fowl play

In the Fowler reading i thought that the fact they used skulls to determine who was a more superior race was just ridiculous. And especially since i was learning about this miss use of science in previous classes.  It was quite comical how this was becoming truth in a field that is built on truth.  Then when they tried to make animal connections i just thought how bad of a joke it keeps getting but all in all it was quite entertaining.

Phrenology - Fowler

As I read through this reading, I found it strange as well as scientifically inaccurate to the "studies" of Phrenology. Basically, the Fowler family popularized the idea that the shape of a person's head is directly related to that person's personality. The reading dives into the shape and sizes of animals' heads and brains as well, where it is stated that when comparing Phrenology to animals and humans, there is no comparison. From there, it focuses on purely humans, but compares different races, "Indian skulls can always be selected from Caucasian just by these developments; while the Caucasian race is superior in reasoning power and moral elevation to all the other races, and accordingly, have higher and bolder foreheads, and more elevated and elongated top heads." This statement really shocked me for two reasons. First, it indicates that Caucasians are superior to all races, which during this time was a popular and natural idea, but now we know is obviously not true indicating a very arrogant statement. Also, this was past the time the Declaration of Independence was written, which clearly states, "all men are created equal." The whole concept of Phrenology goes in the opposite direction of the "belief," so to say, of our country. The next way I was shocked was purely by the Phrenology study! How can we truly correlate the appearance of people's outside looks and shapes, to the way they act, behave, and believe? It really is "pseudoscience," but I believe that from science studies like Phrenology, we were able to move on from it, discover knew scientific advancements, and scientifically prove this knowledge to be inaccurate. I believe it's an arrogant study, but also one that is important, influential study to prove that it really is pseudoscience.

Lindsey Newton

A Foul Pseudoscience: Fowler Phrenology Excerpt

Although the logic behind this "science" is very interesting, the fact that an entire country could jump behind a science trying desperately to connect physical appearance of someone's head to their personality and level of intelligence is a little scary.  In the psychological and medical fields, "bump" doctors are a bit of a joke.  But how could this joke become overwhelmingly popular?  This question is answered easily!  The only people who could read/opinion's that matter in the 19th century were Caucasians, considered "superior in reasoning power and more elevation to all other races."  The "universal fact" is that phrenology proved the most powerful people the smartest, so of course this movement would be meet with popularity.  The Fowler's break down their logic into 2 parts. 1. Observing animal's skulls and making judgements about their intelligence and behavior. 2. Drawing parallels between animal and human skulls, and making "logical" conclusions from the animal they studies.  Yes, this is interesting but completely superficial.    

This over-all garbage science does have a few points that are correct.  Yes, the brain is divided into 2 hemispheres.  Yes, drugs, toxins, and alcohol do have the power to affect our brain; as does the amount of sleep, exercise and oxygen.  Modern medical advances can only provide a few measures of intelligence with various tests. fMRI scans can show which parts of the brain light up when being used.  Doctors and researchers are now beginning to look at these scans in relationship to intelligence, but nothing is as black and white as primitive phrenology.

Phrenology has been laughed out of the sciences in a method of evaluating the brain, but the ideals of Phrenology will always remain true.  Humans judge upon appearance.  They always have and they always will.  Phrenology was a way for caucasians too put cold hard facts behind their bias, they were better than everyone else.  We still judge people on the way they look - "he has a funny nose," "her eyes are too close together," "he looks so dumb," and etc.  How many times do we judge others upon their appearance? How does our own judgement calls make us any different from the stupidity of phrenology 200 years later?

I was very disgusted when Octavian and his mother were whipped when his mother denied Lord Cheldthrope. I was reading and I was just not even sure how I should react to the evil that he was doing. I can't even imagine the pain that the whipping would cause and to see that he not only whipped the mother but also Octavian, it was just pure evil. I felt like Lord Cheldthrope  put on a good show. He came across as a decent man who had intentions of not being so evil and I was shocked when he turned out to be just as bad as the rest of them. I was also not happy with the fact that 03-01 didn't say anything or protect Octavian and his mother.

Fowler Reading

As I was reading my classmates blogposts about the readings for tomorrow I do agree with Rachel on the opinion that I believe these Fowler reading's to be biased. I was also very surprised while reading it. I had never before considered the possibility that before scientists had really made progress with the make-up of the brain that there were those who believed the size of ones head was linked to personality traits and their intelligence. To me that seems a little too judgmental as if I were to judge someone's complete personality based on their outward appearance? I did find it a little humorous when it was mentioned that our emotions were in the portion of the brain covered by our hair and our intelligence was stored in the portion of our brain not covered by hair (forehead). He spoke of those who have heads that stretch far behind the ears are emotion human beings and those who have round heads tend to be more animalistic and selfish. These judgements seem outrageous to me. I wonder how they were able to gain such a large following? What made people believe this? One point he did make that I do agree with is the fact that health and disease affect the mind just as much as it can affect the body. I wonder what these medical madman thought of themselves based upon these assumptions they made about others? And were their assumptions based upon their own body/head types to favor themselves?

Austin Moag

Fowler - Phrenology Reading Excerpt

The thing that stood out the most to me as I read this excerpt was how biased it was. Throughout the writing it was obvious how skewed the "scientific" research on phrenology was. It seems that the scientists who studied phrenology had a preexisting mindset about different humans, and then molded their studies to reflect their existing beliefs. A quote from the excerpt reads, "In short, every human, every brutal head, is constructed throughout strictly on phrenology principles. Ransack air, earth, and water and not one palpable exception ever has been, ever can be adduced." This arrogant statement shows how sure these scientists were in their findings, and that they accepted them as absolute fact. This whole shoddy science of phrenology seems to be just a means to an end. Which is to say that the people who studied phrenology already had a biased idea of the hypothesis that they were looking to test, and so fit their "findings" to what they were hoping to find.

Rachel Nolley

Consideration of the Pox Party

I truthfully really enjoy reading this book. It is very thought provoking. Outside the context of the story itself, there are subtleties that i really enjoy reading. For example, "You must learn fear...Fear is like happiness, but the smile is wider," can be interpreted to mean that if one expects things to be the worst, they will have their internal walls already prepared for impact.

At any rate, this book does a "novel" job (haha) at depicting the mad doctor. In the pursuit of knowledge, these people, specifically 03-01, transcend human morals in a quest for answers. It seems ironic that they ignore instinctual morality while admiring instinct in the scene where they venture out to race on four "legs". I also like that the book touched onto the subject of power and control as we have been discussing it in class; and even more impressively, it did so at the end of a chapter, with one bold statement, emphasizing it to be of importance. I suspect it to be a recurring theme in this book.

Pox Party

At the start of the book it took me a good bit of time to really understand what was going on.  One of the main questions I had was why Octavian was not allowed to go into town, and why it was so dangerous to him.  Upon actually learning of his origins, as well as the time and location of the story it really became clear that because of his race he would be pretty unwelcome there.

I feel as if Octavian's life is pretty much one huge experiment.  The book makes it rather clear that he is not the same as the rest of the people in the house for several reasons.  The most obvious being his race.  It seems to me like the rest of the people in the house don't really see him as a human, more of just a test subject -- again, likely due to his race.  Some evidence of this is when they kill his dog and watch his reaction, to see if he has feelings.  I think that they are experimenting on him so heavily because he is different than them, so they want to know what makes him different.  It is also a bit strange how they treat him.  On one hand it feels as if he is the center of attention and everyone cares about him, but on the other hand it feels like that they really disrespect him sometimes.

One thing I also wonder is if Bono was at one point like Octavian was, where he was sort of the center of attention and everyone was interested in his behavior.


Sean

Pox Party

After reading this book, I'm not sure how it correlates with the main theme of this class, "mad doctors". This story is like nothing we have read before. The people don't have names, but rather, numbers to be identified by. This people are given private tutors, fancy white head dresses, and taught about the privileged life. Why does Octavian and his mother have names and not numbers? The boy seems to idolize his mother and worship the ground she walks on. Octavian's mother is a work of art. She poses for portraits and drawings all of the time. The mother tries to protect her son after he gets scolded from 03-01 and when she does, he simply says "let us say rather - that he belongs to all of us."  Who is this boys father? Does his mother have any say in raising her own son? I noticed during this reading that these people seems to experiment on animals instead of humans. This is different from all of our other readings. Octavian discusses a memory when he found a dog named Cloud lying in a shed unmoved. He remembers feeling no emotions over the still dog. Was he raised to not feel sadness or fear?

Pox Party

            After having read the first section of The Pox Party, I first did not see how this reading pertained to our overarching theme of the "medical madman."  I spent about an hour thinking about this section and I realized that it was more related than I had originally thought.  Mr. Gitney, or 30-01 as he likes to be called, is most likely going to be who we call the "madman" in this story.  He is described as having a large head and nose, with little hair, spending most of his days in a robe, and constantly shaking his hands.  Mr. Gitney requires the narrator, Octavian, to follow some strange rules.  Octavian is not allowed to cry, show any sort of emotions, witness disturbing experiments, and weigh his "leavings."  In this sense, it is clear to me that Mr. Gitney follows both the physical and mental stereotype for the Mad Doctor that was described earlier in class.  It appears that he is raising Octavian to follow logic, ignore emotions, be objective, and observant.  This raises some moral questions for me.  My first question is why is Mr. Gitney so determined to raise Octavian to have no emotions?  When Mr. Gitney causes Octavian to poison his dog, Gitney records Octavian's responses with the intent to study and publish them.  This makes me believe that Mr. Gitney is more interested in how the human mind works than the mental well-being of Octavian.  My second question is what will Octavian's personality be like when he grows up?  At this stage in the reading, it appears to me that Octavian's upbringing will leave him emotionless or inhuman.  Will Octavian be so emotionless that he could be likened to a monster, similar to Frankenstein's monster and Mr. Hyde?  

Gabe McGiveron

Fat and Blood

What I got from this text is that Mitchell is working on methods of rejuvenating weak people using rest, exercise, and feeding techniques. He studies mostly on women who are lacking proper nutrition or have medical issues. My first thoughts are that this man must be fairly intelligent because he is conducting research and scientific experiment on people. It also makes me pose the question, why has he decided to do such a study and then secondly why on women as opposed to men?

He has received letters questioning his work on women and asking to explain why he performed the treatments that he did. But even though people at the time questioned his work, since then others have published cases similar to his. Mitchell?s work has been widely used by physicians and has led to further improvements in medical knowledge. When he says that he was doing service to his profession by relating the original study to treatment options I completely agree with him. Even thought it might have been considered not ethically correct at the time, some of the medical knowledge we have today can be linked back to his work.

Dr. William however, claims that he cant find any solid evidence on the attack of the disease, which opens up a door for a possibility that all of Mitchell?s work isn?t exactly as beneficial and monumental as it was portrayed by Mitchell himself.  Another doctor comments on the fact that Mitchell was not the first one to come up with the idea of the study, but was the first one to merge the idea of the study and treatment together, which is still an achievement.

I feel like there is always room for controversy when dealing with the gaining of new knowledge or experimenting with new ideas, however without his work, we would not have some of the medical knowledge we have today.

Relating it back to this class, makes me question whether or not Dr. Mitchell is technically a ?medical madman? or not because he actually made medical progress that is useful today and doesn?t seem like he was in any sense mad or crazy."

Posted by Dr. Renzi on behalf of Emily Kiger