000 02553cam a22003733u 4500
001 61228
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610134418.0
006 m
007 cr n
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040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aHarmon, Jim,
_d1933-2010
245 1 4 _aThe Big Headache
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2020
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1962
500 _aRelease date is 2020-01-24
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"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.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aScientists -- Fiction
653 _aExperiments -- Fiction
700 1 _aDyas
830 0 _aProduced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1962
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61228
999 _c102054
_d102054