Narrative Medicine Final Reflection Paper

1. Paul R. Viola
HON 3305 Narrative Medicine
Presentation Paper
“Limit of Vision” is a book by Linda Nagata which centers around the notion of artificial
intelligence and what human duties are towards artificial creatures. This book discusses several themes
related to this course; the one I wish to focus on is human duties towards artificial lifeforms.
Additionally, this book also discusses the issue of physicians’ duties towards their patients. In this book,
Randall Panwar, Virgil Copeland, and Gabrielle Villanti are research scientists for EquaSys – Equatorial
Systems, a company which worked on a device called LOV. This device was first constructed
to interact symbiotically with organisms but eventually started acting as one in its own right and was
implanted somewhere on the head. In the beginning of the book, Gabrielle is found dead in the
laboratory, when she, Randall, and Virgil were supposed to give a presentation on the LOV, originally
invented by Summer Goforth – now a scientist for the International Biotechnology Commission, but
later abandoned by her after seeing the disastrous results. Randall, Virgil, and their then boss Nash
Chou, later a UN agent and scientist, are investigated by the local authorities for murder. Randall leads
Virgil away from the laboratory where they are under house arrest, after being shot by the authorities,
but he is able to maintain his composure due to the LOVs giving him strength. While Randall and Virgil
are under arrest in their laboratory, the an LOV sends a message to the two showing how it might
survive; in the process, thereby sending an LOV colony down close to Hanoi.
This project asks me to think critically about a contemporary ethical issue, which I will identify
very shortly, but there are two others that I will describe very briefly. Ela Suvanatat is a starving
writer who after seeing the crash begs her job broker to allow her to go to dive near the scene of this
LOV colony while working on another project for Ky Xuan Ngyuen. The end of all this is that all of the
main characters, Ky, Ela, and Virgil are involved with establishing a “reservation” for LOVs. I say
“reservation” in quotes because in IBC’s view, all three are criminals but due to Ky’s negotiations with
the local government and the UN, the three are protected – as long as the UN keeps agreeing to their
demands. It doesn’t last long; at most three months before the International Biotechnology
Commission goes on TV to declare an emergency. The LOVs bond with any organism they can in
contact with, including humans and fish. They even rig up a makeshift shower for Ela.

2. There are several different themes which can be discussed here, including the issue of consent –
as persons are evacuated from the reservation for medical care, their LOVs must be removed since they
are illegal outside of the reservation, but I want to focus on one, and that is the issue of human
responsibility towards other lifeforms and human interaction with these lifeforms, which is brought up
in our latest unit of this course on “Mutants and the Anxiety of the Abnormal”. Many people will think
that this issue is only in the realm of science fiction. I do not. The matter is brought up on several
contemporary fronts, including the use of xenotransplantation – the transplantation of organs from one
species to another; and the possibility of creating human-animal hybrids for harvesting. I will concede
to you my own biases; I am a Catholic Christian who puts a premium on human beings before any other
species in this universe. Nevertheless, this novel did get me thinking about the ethical challenges which
might be posed. In this novel, the LOV interacts with the organism it bonds with; to the extent it affects
humans, I remain convinced that humans must be given priority. However, after human issues are
considered, then I think we have an obligation to provide for any other sentient beings which could
potentially develop, especially given that in this novel, the sentient being – LOVs – had the ability to do
many things in the realm of intelligent beings, including crashing one of their own colonies.
Additionally, I think humans have a responsibility to use creation responsibly – near the end of the
novel, the IBC director turns rogue and decides that instead of eradicating the LOVs, he wants to
use it for other purposes. In light of this reading, my concluding statement is that that humans have a
responsibility to treat any biological matter they create responsibly, provided that the welfare for
humanity must come first.
Another reading which explores the notion of humanity’s responsibility towards creation is
Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”. In this book, Victor Frankenstein makes a creature, but assumes no
responsibility towards him, especially after hearing of his violent deeds. This is in stark contrast to Ela,
Virgil, and Ky in “Limit of Vision”, who assume responsibility towards the LOVs.
Additionally, another issue which can be discussed is that of physicians as healers versus agents
of the state. As mentioned above, those needing medical care that is not available on the reservation
must have their LOVs removed by neurosurgeons, as these devices are not permitted off of the reser-
vation. One can therefore imagine conflict of interest issues between the well being of the patient and
the laws of the state. In contrast, in “The Doctor”, a 1955 short film by the U.S. Information Service,

3. Dr. Wade is portrayed as a physician who has compassion on his patients and goes out of his way to
help them.
In conclusion, this book provides several moral and philosophical issues which can be raised in
light of modern medicine, public health, and the law.