Medical Ethics

From the time protagonist Joe Bonham realizes his left arm has been amputated at the shoulder, he considers doctors dirty bastards who have no right to do so without his permission. Army doctors have had plenty of practice over three to four years in keeping people alive if they get them fast enough and can control the bleeding. They must view him as an interesting problem, an opportunity to show how much they have learned. Bonham figures that his limbs had been wounded only a bit, but by the time the doctors finish working on his head wounds, gangrene sets in and they amputate his arms and legs joint-by-joint. He wishes they had considered how he would end up and let him die. Now they cannot kill him, for that would be murder. Bonham has heard of many medical and psychological oddities during the war. Doctors can...