As our knowledge of the human brain evolves, it seems that we are still too slow for the brain itself. A discovery has been made that the human brain’s intelligence can be altered. Through a brain surgery, and with a few tweaks to the brain tissue, a 37 year old with an IQ of 68 named Charles Gordon’s intelligence has been increased. The question at hand is whether or not the operation was beneficial to the candidate.
Prior to the experiment, the candidate takes multiple Rorschach tests. He also takes part in maze races with a mouse that already had the experiment performed on it. Although the results are somewhat unsatisfactory, the candidate is chosen for his motivation, and his will to be smarter despite the consequences. 24 hours …show more content…
The main participants are the researcher, Dr. Nemur, Miss Alice Kinnian, and Algernon the mouse. Other minor participants that may have influenced him include Joe Carp and Frank Reilly. As viewed by the candidate, the researcher is more favorable than Dr. Nemur. The researcher also interacts more with Charles Gordon, which may affect his opinion of him. As for Dr. Nemur, the candidate finds him harder to socialize with. The candidate even takes it as far as calling him a grouch. Miss Kinnian was the candidate’s adult night school teacher, and she also recommended him for the experiment. Further into the experiment, the candidate falls in love with her, but her emotions towards him remain unclear. Algernon, the mouse, had the experiment performed on it before Charles did. Once the mouse had reached the height of its intelligence, it took part in maze races with the candidate. The candidate continued to lose the maze races, until he reached a breakthrough after the surgery and won the maze race. The mouse and the candidate eventually become friends, and when the mouse dies due to the failure of the experiment (the candidate is now at the height of his intelligence), Charles Gordon realizes that the experiment will go downhill for him too. This encourages him to begin the experiments on what he called the Algernon-Gordon effect, a report that compared the rate …show more content…
The reasons provided were that Mr. Gordon’s changes were much too unusual for the factory’s good.
May 23rd- Algernon’s state starts to deteriorate
May 29th to June 5th- The candidate reaches the height of his intelligence and is given a lab to experiment on himself and further study Algernon’s case. He completes a report titled the Algernon-Gordon effect and sends it to the researchers’ lab for publication. The report confirms that artificially increased intelligence decreases at the same rate at which it increases.
June 10th- Algernon the mouse dies
June 15th to the 23rd- The candidate starts to deteriorate at a similar rate to Algernon. Symptoms include amnesia and motor activity impairment. He loses his knowledge of foreign languages, and by the end of the designated period, his intelligence has regressed to its level prior to the operation.
July 28th- The candidate decides to leave New York for good after he walks into the adult night school class the night before, ready for class, and Miss Kinnian runs out of the room
Prior to the experiment, the candidate takes multiple Rorschach tests. He also takes part in maze races with a mouse that already had the experiment performed on it. Although the results are somewhat unsatisfactory, the candidate is chosen for his motivation, and his will to be smarter despite the consequences. 24 hours …show more content…
The main participants are the researcher, Dr. Nemur, Miss Alice Kinnian, and Algernon the mouse. Other minor participants that may have influenced him include Joe Carp and Frank Reilly. As viewed by the candidate, the researcher is more favorable than Dr. Nemur. The researcher also interacts more with Charles Gordon, which may affect his opinion of him. As for Dr. Nemur, the candidate finds him harder to socialize with. The candidate even takes it as far as calling him a grouch. Miss Kinnian was the candidate’s adult night school teacher, and she also recommended him for the experiment. Further into the experiment, the candidate falls in love with her, but her emotions towards him remain unclear. Algernon, the mouse, had the experiment performed on it before Charles did. Once the mouse had reached the height of its intelligence, it took part in maze races with the candidate. The candidate continued to lose the maze races, until he reached a breakthrough after the surgery and won the maze race. The mouse and the candidate eventually become friends, and when the mouse dies due to the failure of the experiment (the candidate is now at the height of his intelligence), Charles Gordon realizes that the experiment will go downhill for him too. This encourages him to begin the experiments on what he called the Algernon-Gordon effect, a report that compared the rate …show more content…
The reasons provided were that Mr. Gordon’s changes were much too unusual for the factory’s good.
May 23rd- Algernon’s state starts to deteriorate
May 29th to June 5th- The candidate reaches the height of his intelligence and is given a lab to experiment on himself and further study Algernon’s case. He completes a report titled the Algernon-Gordon effect and sends it to the researchers’ lab for publication. The report confirms that artificially increased intelligence decreases at the same rate at which it increases.
June 10th- Algernon the mouse dies
June 15th to the 23rd- The candidate starts to deteriorate at a similar rate to Algernon. Symptoms include amnesia and motor activity impairment. He loses his knowledge of foreign languages, and by the end of the designated period, his intelligence has regressed to its level prior to the operation.
July 28th- The candidate decides to leave New York for good after he walks into the adult night school class the night before, ready for class, and Miss Kinnian runs out of the room