TY  - BOOK
AU  - Harmon,Jim
AU  - Dyas
TI  - The Big Headache
T2  - Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1962
AV  - PS 
PY  - 2020///
CY  - Salt Lake City, UT
PB  - Project Gutenberg
KW  - Science fiction
KW  - Short stories
KW  - Scientists -- Fiction
KW  - Experiments -- Fiction
N1  - Release date is 2020-01-24; Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified
N2  - "The Big Headache" by Jim Harmon is a science fiction novella written in the early 1960s. The story revolves around themes of medical ethics, the consequences of scientific experimentation, and human cognition. It focuses on the potential for a new treatment aimed at curing headaches, which leads to unforeseen and dramatic results concerning intelligence and mental capacity.  In "The Big Headache," biologists Dr. Ferris and Dr. Mitchell seek to test their experimental virus that purports to eliminate headaches by affecting the pituitary gland. They persuade the renowned mathematician, Dr. Elliot Macklin, who suffers from severe migraines, to participate in their trial. Initially successful in alleviating his pain, the procedure drastically reduces Macklin's intelligence, transforming him into a simple-minded man who rejects returning to his previous self. This state of bliss raised ethical dilemmas regarding autonomy, mental capacity, and whether it is better to live in ignorance without suffering or to be burdened by the pressures of a complex mind. The story culminates in Dr. Ferris envisioning a future where they can profit from this discovery, while the moral implications of their actions hang over them, illustrating the balance between scientific ambition and ethical responsibility. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
UR  - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61228
ER  -