ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: THE NEW ADAM (1924)

THE NEW ADAM (1924) – Female author Noelle Roger (real name Helene Pittard) wrote this story in 1924. It was translated into English in 1926.

Scientist Dr. Flecheyre is experimenting with transplanting human glands. He has reached the stage where he has chemically enhanced some glands to the point where he feels the recipient will have their brain stimulated.

All the animals that Flecheyre has tried this on have died, but he still wants to try the process on a human subject. His son Rene foolishly volunteers and winds up dying like the test animals.

Not long after, a medical student of Flecheyre’s acquaintance tries to kill himself with a bullet into his brain. The student – Herve Silenrieux – bungled the attempt and is clinging to life. Our unethical scientist feels that since Silenrieux was already trying to commit suicide he can try the gland transplantation process on him.

He does so and Herve survives. His intellect has increased even beyond Dr. Flecheyre’s, who takes the young man into research partnership with him. Over time, he comes to regard Silenrieux as a new son.

Unfortunately, Herve is a cold genius and has no compunctions about experimenting on unsuspecting human subjects to perfect his medical breakthroughs.

When Flecheyre returns from a trip he discovers that Herve has killed one-tenth of his patients to advance his experiments. Flecheyre is horrified but covers it all up to avoid losing Herve. He does fire Silenrieux from his practice and finances an independent laboratory for the conscienceless Herve so he can continue his dark works.

Before long, Herve has perfected a ray-gun which induces heart attacks on people from a distance. The people in the town near Silenrieux’s remote laboratory believe the sudden rash of heart attacks were natural and don’t realize that Herve targeted the victims.

Moving onto other experiments, Silenrieux perfects the use of controlled atomic explosions to artificially cause earthquakes. The terrified Dr. Flecheyre has grown appalled by Herve’s experiments (it’s about time) and pulls off a plot to commit him to an insane asylum.

The brilliant Herve escapes, however, and the cunning villain flees to the Netherlands. Months later he has perfected an atomic bomb powerful enough to wipe out entire nations.

Before Silenrieux can begin using his nuclear weapons on an unsuspecting world, Flecheyre tracks him down to his isolated headquarters. In the tussle that results, Herve’s base is destroyed and both men are killed in its destruction.

The New Adam is fairly entertaining. I was disappointed in the way it departed from its initial approach to mere pulp sensationalism but what can you do? 

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