The name of one of the most famous works of Alexander Belyaev looks rather vague and does not allow to fully understand what is discussed in the novel. And a brief annotation does not dispel the "fog" over the content. To help those who doubt whether to read - a brief summary. “The Head of Professor Dowell” is a book that leads to complex and useful thoughts. Make sure of it!
First chapters, summary: Professor Dowell's head meets Marie Laurent
Seriously set to work, a young woman, Marie Laurent, settles in the laboratory of the famous scientist - Professor Kern. On the very first day, a girl will be shocked - she "lives" in her workplace ... a human head without a body. It is for her to take care of her. Despite her beauty and relative youth, Marie decides to figure out the work, especially since she really needs money.
As it soon becomes clear, the head of Professor Dowell (the summary will be incomplete without this fact) not only understands everything, but also thinks clearly, and, as Marie finds out at her own peril and risk, she can speak. From this moment, Miss Laurent realizes how rich she is, having a body! Strange as it may seem, Marie and the professor's head were able to make friends.
The girl learns that even in her current state, Dowell works. And Kern gives out all the results of his work as his development. Dowell also shares with Marie suspicions that he deliberately did not help his colleague during an asthma attack, which allegedly caused the scientist to die. Laurent begins to experience an antipathy to Kern.
Continuation, summary: Professor Dowell's head gets "friends"
Professor Kern decides to continue the successful experience of revitalizing the heads - the head of worker Tom and actress Briquet "settle" in his laboratory. Such a "resurrection" for them is something completely incomprehensible. They want to live again as before. This leads Kern to the idea that you can try to sew and the body. At the same time, he learns that Marie has long been talking with Dowell's head. She owns the information, which essentially makes Kern a criminal. The scientist is blackmailing Laurent by turning off the devices that ensure the vital functions of the head if the girl refuses to work further and tries to leave his house.
Amazing successes, summary: Professor Dowell's head participates in the revitalization of Briquet
Using his colossal experience in surgery and Dowell’s most valuable advice, Professor Kern sews Briquet’s head to the body of singer Angelica Guy, who died in a train crash. The experiment is successful! But the active and restless Briquet escapes from the house of Kern, as soon as fully restored.
What happened next?
After the escape, Briquet with friends leaves Paris and accidentally meets with Arman Lara, who was in love with the deceased Angelique, and Arthur Duel, the son of a professor who everyone thought was dead.
Under pressure from Lara, the girl tells her friends the truth, and they decide to figure out the situation. Meanwhile, Briquet inflames the wound on the leg that Angelica had.
At this time, Marie Laurent is in the clinic for the mentally ill. There, at the direction of Kern, they methodically try to drive her crazy. But Arthur Dowell comes to her aid.
“The Head of Professor Dowell”: Contents of the Final Chapters
Brika and her friends are unable to heal the wound, the girl is getting worse. She goes to Kern, who is trying to help her, but it's too late! He has to again deprive Brika of the body. He demonstrates a living head at a special meeting at which Marie Laurent comes. She angrily exposes the professor. Representatives of the law come to his laboratory.
There they find the head of Professor Dowell, who is almost impossible to recognize because of paraffin injections - Kern made sure to hide the traces of his activities, but he did not succeed to the end.
In his last minutes, Dowell sees his son, who arrived at the house with the police, and tells the guards that Marie knows everything about Kern’s affairs. Everything is clear! Kern commits suicide.
The book “The Head of Professor Dowell” is a thought-provoking masterpiece
It would seem that people have long dreamed of conquering death. But at what cost is this possible? Only the full text of the novel allows us to understand the global nature of this problem!