The Little Black Bag Essay

Medical technology is known for its quality, safety, and efficiency. It not only cures patients but increases the hope one needs to raise the survival rate after a sever surgery. Maluses of medical instrument creates thousands of errors and adverse events. In “The Little Black Bag,” author Cyril Kornbluth signifies how medical advancement can save and kill simultaneously. Advancement of medical technologies reaches out to help those who are in need; however, the misuse of these innovations can create disharmony along the way.

A 2450 medical device kit is transported back in time and comes into contact with an old, retired, and drunkard physician Dr. Full, who had been expelled from the medical association for milking patients. After the

discovery of the little black bag Dr. Full restores his dignity and devotion to healing. A canny girl, Angie, realizes the value and origin of the medical instrument and blackmails the doctor to undertake her as his partner. Soon both build a successful medical practice. When Full decides to turn the instrument kit over to the medical establishment for good humanity, Angie murders him. Angie demonstrates the safety of the medical kit to the patient by plunging the futuristic surgical scalpel into her neck. Meanwhile, authorities in the future learn about the missing bag and murder occurrence, so they deactivate it just prior to Angie’s demonstration. The story foreshadows future technological advances that threatens to reduce physician activities into mere mechanics. The author depicts a bright future with scientific discovery and magnificent technologies; however, the society is lacking common sense.
The technological innovation in the field of medicine has achieved numerous success and affected every field in medicine. Neuroscience, for example, has reached its highest peak, and devices such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, CT Scans, and other innovations are frequently being used for understanding the brain today. Now these devices can be used to identify problems in other parts of the body as well. The introduction of Nano devices along with complicated microscopy and imaging helps in in-situ diagnosis of cancers, and many other conditions including diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and glaucoma. The greatest contribution medical technologies played a part to are in the area of genes and RNA transferences, which has enabled humans to correct genetic imperfection and overcome an incredibly disturbing issue: antibiotic resistance. Stem cells and tissue engineers are working towards providing missing tissues for those in need to provide better quality of life (Jacob). Likewise, in “The Little Black bag” Dr. Full performs plastic surgery on various patients to give them desirable body the patient wants. Along that, Dr. full executes a surgery on a journalist, who is getting “a tendency toward hyperthyroidism,” without the high technology doctors cannot find out the scar the journalist carries. The surgery helps her use oxygen properly and gives her a better quality of life (p. 11).
The advancement of medical technology “saves” the community in a way by increasing the efficiency of health care and public health care services in the industry. For example, Endowrist technology is a surgery performed by robots. In this surgical procedure, the physicians are operating the procedure with the help of a 3D imaging video monitor, while the robots work as efficiently as a doctor mimicking the processes as the video monitor demonstrates. Robotics technology gives physicians a precious view and precision of the anatomy of the surgery. This technology also causes less pain and trauma, less blood loss, and less needle usage. This procedure not only helps in rapid healing, but also allows less infections (Lanfranco et al.). In “Little Black Bag” Dr. Full uses the medical kit and successfully performs a hi-tech procedure without using any hazardous devices. This relieves patients from stress and raises the confidence level on certain approaches in medical issue. On the other hand, using the black kit to resolve all the issues foreshadows how the value of a physician will be lower in the future. Rather than asking a doctor to analyze any medical issue, people will be technical depended to further health care treatments.
History has shown an essential growth in advancement of technology which has saved several hundred thousand lives.

Lack’s cells, also known as HeLa became the first immortal cells in the line of history. Technological improvements in medicine help preserve these cancer cells and keep an eye on the growth of the cells. HeLa cells grow in vitro extremely aggressively, and workers need to be very careful to avoid cross-contamination which can lead HeLa cells to invade other cultures and quietly replace original cells. To maintain the pace HeLa cells grows into, the scientists use medical innovations in the healthcare industry. Furthermore, healthcare facilities are improving the quality and coordination of care. Scientists with the help of these magnificent cells develop medical instruments which helps providing treatment to patients. Not only that, HeLa cells have helped in medical advances by providing the polio vaccination, cancer medications, flu, Parkinson’s disease, gene mapping, cloning, and radiation

(Barone).
The area most influenced by medical technology is the amount of information which has made significant contribution in the medical industry. Doctors and nurses constantly use electronic records and telehealth services to document a patient’s history of medicines or medical issues and check the correct treatment administered. By using these technologies, the physicians are sure about the treatment given to a patient, but also physicians can electronically control a patient’s healthcare plan and treat someone without hesitation of geographic region with the help of telecommunication or telemedicine (Karsenti & Charlin). However, in Kornbluth’s short story “The Little Black Bag”, the electronic medical record backfires. Angie has all the information of the patients, so she uses them to perform the surgery on the last patients. Not only in the short story, but also in in today’s world, cyber-attacks are very common in any health place. In the Physicians Leadership Journal, Greengard shed light on how hospitals with their security system struggles with cyber-attacks on medical instruments and medical records of the patients, and cyber-attack experts remotely administering lethal drugs in through the system.
In the healthcare industry, technologies contribute in assisting medical care and also devote to reaching out to people, providing important medical information.

The web activity grants in advancement of medical technology by providing thousands of animations and extracts of conferences. Furthermore, people can research their medical concerns in the web by providing the symptoms and causes to find promoting remedies (Karsenti and Charlin). Anyone can administer medical advice to cure a patient from simple health care issues. In “The Little Black Bag” Dr. Full’s partner Angie attempts to do the same thing. Dr. Full gives her common knowledge about the instrument and to get more money she tries to strive on plastic surgery on a patient. The short story raises awareness of how little knowledge could turn into a major hazard for

everyone.
As advancement of technology plays a dynamic role of protagonist, but on the other hand, it does not hesitate to hide its antagonist side. Using new and innovating medical instrument cures patients without going through hazardous procedures and even helps patients who are out of reach of their physicians. However, these devices are easily accessible in stealing others medical records, using unwanted antidote, and performing unknowledgeable medical procedure.