The Little Black Bag

by C.M. Kornbluth

"The Little Black Bag" is a science fiction short story by American Cyril M. Kornbluth, first published in the July 1950 edition of Astounding Science Fiction. It is a predecessor of sorts to the story "The Marching Morons". It won the 2001 Retroactive Hugo Award for Best Novelette (of 1951) and was also recognized as the 13th best all-time short science fiction story in a 1971 Analog Science Fact & Fiction poll, tied with "Microcosmic God" by Theodore Sturgeon.[1] It was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published before the creation of the Nebula Awards. As such, it was published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964.
In the future, humanity has split into a small minority of supergeniuses and those of normal intelligence, and a much larger group of dimwits, as described in "The Marching Morons". The geniuses masquerade as assistants to the morons, the better to covertly manage them and keep them out of trouble.

A "physicist" goads his minder into giving him specifications for a time machine. The faux physicist builds it, and uses it to send a "doctor" friend's highly-automated medical kit into the past (our present), where it is found by Dr. Full, a physician who has succumbed to alcoholism and fallen to the bottom level of society. At first attributing its advanced properties and unfamiliar components to medical advances made since he last practiced, he uses it to heal a seriously injured young child. The patient's cynical eighteen-year-old sister, Angie, discovers the patent application date on one of the instruments (2450) and is quick to grasp the financial opportunities.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook

38 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1950

About the author

Cyril M. Kornbluth grew up in Inwood in New York City. As a teenager, he became a member of the Futurians, the influential group of science fiction fans and writers. While a member of the Futurians, he met and became friends with Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim, Robert A. W. Lowndes, and his future wife Mary Byers. He also participated in the Fantasy Amateur Press Association.

Kornbluth served in the US Army during World War II (European Theatre). He received a Bronze Star for his service in the Battle of the Bulge, where he served as a member of a heavy machine gun crew. Upon his discharge, he returned to finish his education, which had been interrupted by the war, at the University of Chicago. While living in Chicago he also worked at Trans-Radio Press, a news wire service. In 1951 he started writing full time, returning to the East Coast where he collaborated on a number of novels with his old Futurian friends Frederik Pohl and Judith Merril (as Cyril Judd).

He used a variety of pen-names: Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner, Jordan Park, Arthur Cooke, Paul Dennis Lavond and Scott Mariner.

Reviews

[Alex Memus · Rating 3 out of 5]

TLDR
Отличный сайфай рассказ с такой эстетикой времен Великой Депрессии: бедность, алкоголь, жадность. На этом фоне прям сильно выделяется на фоне 'стерильных' книг про будущее из 40ых. Думал даже поставить 4 звезды, но когда в конце автор внезапно включает gore в духе сцены с ванной в первом сезоне Breaking Bad, меня это немного выбило из колеи.

Детали
* Лучшее описание алкоголизма ever

The amber bottle, the crisp snap of the sealing as he cut it, the pleasurable exertion of starting the screw cap on its threads, and then the refreshing tangs in his throat, the warmth in his stomach, the dark, dull happy oblivion of drunkenness--they became real to him.

* Довольно смелый заход на территорию евгеники для книги, написанной почти сразу после второй мировой.

If you think that had any effect on breeding practices, you do not know genus homo.

* Красивая идея, что в настоящем люды глупы от бедности, а в будущем — от избытка технологий. К сожалению, только заявлена, но не дожата.

There was, of course, a sort of masking effect produced by that other exponential function, the accumulation of technological devices. A moron trained to punch an adding machine seems to be a more skillful computer than a medieval mathematician trained to count on his fingers.

Я прочитал эту книгу для обсуждения на подкасте про научную фантастику «Худо Не Было». Послушать можно тут: https://share.transistor.fm/s/4705edac

[Artem Gavrishev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Наконец-то не анекдот. Или всё-таки тоже анекдот, только юмор черный?

В общем, история предсказуемая и как бы зажатая в тиски, но в целом довольно приятная и интересная.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loosely a prequel to The Marching Morons. Future medical technology is beamed back to a struck off GP with an alcohol addiction. Will it be used for good or ill?

[Israel Laureano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novelette de 1950 escrita por Cyril M. Kornbluth, premiada en 2001 con el premio Retro Hugo 1951. Ingeniosa historia que habla de un maletín médico del futuro, transportado en el tiempo 1941 a manos de un médico fracasado, pero ante la nueva tecnología tiene un éxito inusitado.
Es muy entretenido, pero lo más destacable es la dimensión moral que le da a sus protagonistas, el dr. Bayard Full y la buscavidas Angie, y cómo cambia su vida ante el éxito económico y moral. Todo basado en la temática favorita de Kornbluth: en el futuro va a haber pocos humanos inteligentes pero miles de millones tontos e ignorantes.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8 stars

Its first publication
has already been listed.
It was re-printed in
The Science Fiction
Hall of Fame Volume 1.
Which was printed in 1970.

This was made into a Night
Gallery TV episode.

I think I originally read this
when I was 30 years old.

Very creative and unique plot.

I would say it is one of the 10
best SF short stories that I
have ever read and I have
read a ton of them.

[Dave Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a period when good, workmanlike SF was on tap through the various magazines. This one is from the July 1950 Astounding and I found it on Gutenberg Canada. It's an economically told moral fable built on an interesting concept and with the general knowledge you'd expect of an author back then -- for example, the mention of the Chamberlen family keeping their obstetric forceps secret for hundreds of years. So you come away educated, intellectually stimulated, and entertained. I'm not sure if that's true of most SF these days.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

-Read in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One-

This book has a lot of clunky writing. I’d like to clunkily invent a new adjective: this story was unclunky. I really enjoyed reading this smoothly delivered tale of a futuristic partly automated doctor’s bag sent through a time machine to the past where it is found by a retired doctor who has now fallen on hard times. Interesting world building and clear character motivations helped this really resonate with me.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story about a future doctor’s medical bag being transported to a doctor in the past and the effect thereof. Even accepting the time travel aspect, the story is riddled with unlikely events but, as I say, fun nevertheless.

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Χαριτωμένα δυστοπικό και ευχάριστο. Τι γίνεται όταν τεχνολογίες του μέλλοντος πέφτουν στα χέρια μας. Πώς τις διαχειριζόμαστε; Και όταν φτάσουμε στην ύβρι, πόσο, μα πόσο αστεία μπορεί να είναι η νέμεση μέσα στη σπλατεριά της...

[Željko Filipin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would you use very advanced tool of your trade from the far future for good or for evil? :) The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964 #15.

[Sergii · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish..

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I returned to this book after many years. It was still enjoyable.

[Unknown Orbits · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story, featuring rich characterization, biting satire, and a satisfyingly savage surprise ending.

[Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad! Still interesting for a 1950s tale.

[J_BlueFlower · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Little Black Bag
C.M. Kornbluth
Read July 2023
In The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One 1929-1964

Sounds like an interesting world. Will look for The Marching Morons

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medical tools of the future travel to the past and, well, you know what people are like. Short.

[Karen K - Ohio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlikable characters and a predictable ending

[Skjam! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of "Great Science Fiction About Doctors", reviewed here: https://www.skjam.com/2024/08/01/book...

[Jimgosailing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha! This is a great little story with a (fatal) twist at the end.

science fiction hall of fame, vol 1

[Paul Jarzabek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short story. Very readable.

[Jeff Ferry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting time travel tale.

[Scott Doherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating story and very well written as for its shortness you still feel that the characters have been well developed and by the end feel like you have been reading longer than for what it was. The Story follows a familiar plot of a gadget from an advanced civilization ending up in the hands of humans of current times, causing fun and chaos with a hint of morality tale thrown in. I was hooked from the start and it’s easy to pick up in PDF version do hunt it down and have a little read!