Project Gutenberg
2010-04-14
Public domain in the USA.
75
Gold, H. L. (Horace Leonard)
1914
1996
Gold, Horace Leonard
Storey, Richard
Grimm, Christopher
Sharp, Henry
Sharp, H.
No Charge for Alterations
Reading ease score: 86.3 (6th grade). Easy to read.
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
"No Charge for Alterations" by H. L. Gold is a science fiction short story published in the early 1950s. The narrative unfolds on the planet Deneb, where the medical practices and societal norms starkly contrast those of Earth. The story explores themes of adaptation and social control, questioning the moral implications of altering people's identities and bodies to suit the needs of a frontier society. In the story, Dr. Kalmar, a seasoned physician on Deneb, faces the challenges of training his inexperienced assistant, Dr. Hoyt, who has just arrived from Earth. The plot revolves around the practice of using Ego Alter and Rephysical treatments to mold individuals to fit societal roles, such as transforming Avis, a discontented young girl, into a capable farm worker she once resisted becoming. Dr. Kalmar believes he is acting for the greater good of Deneb, while Dr. Hoyt grapples with the ethics behind such alterations. As tensions rise, Dr. Lowell, Kalmar's mentor, intervenes to provide perspective, ultimately leading to a surprising resolution. The story raises thought-provoking questions about personal agency, societal expectations, and the consequences of intrusive medical practices. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
en
Science fiction
Physicians -- Fiction
Space colonies -- Fiction
PS
Text
Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
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