Charlie Gordon's Short Story 'Flowers For Algernon'

Rinne

In the short story "Flowers for Algernon," a 32 year old man named Charlie Gordon is considered mentally disabled. In an attempt to increase his intelligence, two doctors, Dr. Neymar and Dr. Straus, performed an experimental procedure on him. The anticipated outcome of this surgery was that Charlie's I.Q. would triple. Charlie was chosen for this procedure because of his motivation to be "smart" like his friends. Although the surgery did work for a short period of time, it ultimately failed when Charlie forgot all of his newly acquired knowledge in the few months afterwards. Charlie was disappointed in this surgery, not only because it did not work, but because it also pushed a wedge between him and his loved ones. He was fired from

Before the procedure, all doctors are required to ask the patient important questions to confirm that he or she is mentally prepared and suitable for the surgery. Some of these questions include, "Has the patient been informed of benefits and risks, understood this information, and given consent? What are the prospects, with or without treatment, for a return to normal life, and what physical, mental, and social deficits might the patient experience even if treatment succeeds?" (Jonsen). Some of these questions can be as simple as asking if the patient is allergic to anything. Charlie's doctors did not ask any of these questions, and it resulted in a negative life for Charlie afterwards. Although it was unexpected, he was fired from his job because of his intelligence. His doctors did not take this into consideration, therefore neither of them acted ethically in this situation.

One might argue that Dr. Neymar and Dr. Straus did make ethical decisions in their experimental surgery. Charlie was eager and motivated to do this surgery. He was willing to start the testing right away, and the doctors could have gotten ahead of themselves and failed to follow through with asking the questions. Miss Kinnian, Charlie's teacher, also recommended Charlie for this surgery. The two doctors could have believed that Miss Kinnian was a good enough witness and that it was unnecessary