Bacteria On The Brain By Emily Eakin - 940 Words

In â€Å"Bacteria on the Brain† By Emily Eakin, she writes about the ethics surrounding a doctor who attempts to save the lives of patients with brain tumors by using his own alternative methods. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the author writes about Victor and his creature’s attempts to expand science, and answer moral questions concerning life and death. Regarding the substance of the article, Neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Muizelaar and his controversial treatment of three patients suffering from terminal brain cancer engenders serious ethical debate. On one hand, Muizelaar epitomizes a man of brilliance and ingenuity, driven by the desire to correct his patients’ otherwise hopeless situations. On the other hand, a man filled with hubris who discounted the risks in his pursuit of success. Given the evidence present in the text of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley would contend that Muizelaar’s actions were innovative and driven by his desire to save the lives o f his patients. Shelley values the dedication to expand the knowledge of humankind as well as life and the avoidance of death at all costs. She often references the sciences, and the idea of pushing science further, for example, when Victor creates life. He â€Å"had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body† (35) and succeeds. In doing so he attempts to expand the sciences with his discovery, and achieve the impossible. Shelley highlights this dedication to broaden science when framing