The Monster-Maker

by W.C. Morrow

The story begins with a young man of refined appearance but evident mental distress seeking the assistance of a renowned surgeon known for his remarkable skill. The surgeon's residence is described as a large, gloomy, and outdated brick house, seemingly out of place in its decayed urban setting. The surgeon, an elderly man with a keen eye and commanding presence, lives there with his wife, who is depicted as weak, reticent, and possibly living in fear or dread.

Unknown Binding

About the author

William Chambers Morrow (7 July 1854, Selma, Alabama – 1923) was an American writer, now noted mainly for his short stories of horror and suspense.

Reviews

[Richie Kercenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story gives justice to the literary figure of the mad scientist and raises many interesting questions in regard to the dangers of unsupervised scientific adventures; questions that were frequent in late victorian society at the turn of the century.

One very interesting issue at play is euthanasia, its moral argument when there is nothing physically wrong with the body and the legal implications on both sides. On the one hand, the surgeon did nothing to harm his pact with his client considering the fact that the latter had simply desired the end of his life which implies the end of consciousness. His conscious life consequently came to an end which leaves the rest of it to cause a taboo and a very interesting thought experiment.