Perfection In Christopher Aylmer's The Birthmark

When a scientist decides to test the limits of the human condition, the ethicality and basis of the experiment are called into question. The main character and scientist Aylmer from the short story “The Birthmark” has such questions directed against him by the readers and modern societies. The question of whether or not his methods were ethical relies in the compliance of his subject of experimentation, his wife Georgiana, and in this case his subject agrees to whatever methods he deems necessary. Furthermore, the evidence presented within the text perceives Aylmer for what he truly is: a human being seeking perfection. The scientific experiment he engages in does not push boundaries because, at that period in history, humans were experimenting …show more content…
His desire to achieve human perfection was beyond the technological standards of the day, and so resorting to “potions” was his only option. Looking back at the sextant, it is an instrument of navigation still used on naval vessels today in case of a power failure. The invention transcends time and it's usefulness is still relevant to modern society (Rugh). Had Aylmer’s experiment succeeded, it is possible that people would have continued to use his methods up to modern times. One major flaw in the experiment was the chance of succeeding. However, this doesn't make it an injustice, as Georgiana knew the risks and still …show more content…
His reasoning behind the experiment was comparable to other scientists of the time, and his reasoning was humane. The only flaw in the experiment is that it was ahead of its time, though Aylmer couldn't have known this, as there wasn't a standard of technology during that time. In science, if aren't pushed against and tested, progress can't be made. This statement is true for Aylmer as well, who pushed boundaries by today's standards, but in his own time the experiment must have seemed reasonably