The Little Black Bag

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"The Little Black Bag"
Author	Cyril M. Kornbluth
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction short story
Publication date	1950

"The Little Black Bag" is a short story by science fiction author Cyril M. Kornbluth, first published in the July, 1950 edition of Astounding Science Fiction. It is a prequel of sorts to the story The Marching Morons. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 1951.

It was the basis of episodes (using the same title) in three television series: Tales of Tomorrow in 1952, "Out of the Unknown" in 1969 and Night Gallery in 1970.

[edit] Plot summary

In the future, humanity has split into a small minority of supergeniuses and a much larger group of dimwits, as described in The Marching Morons. The former masquerade as assistants to the latter, the better to covertly manage them and keep them out of trouble.

A "physicist" goads his minder into giving him specifications for a time machine. He builds it, and uses it to send a "doctor" friend's highly-automated medical kit into the past, where it is found by a disgraced, alcoholic old physician, Dr. Full. At first attributing its advanced properties and unfamiliar components to progress since he last practiced, he has little difficulty using it to heal a seriously injured young child. However, the patient's cynical eighteen-year-old sister, Angie, discovers the patent application date on one of the instruments (2450) and is quick to grasp the financial opportunities. She makes Full take her on as a partner.

The responsibility helps Full recover from his alcoholism, and he is soon running a respectable clinic. When Angie learns that Full intends to turn the bag over to the medical establishment for the good of mankind, she grabs it and tries to leave. In the ensuing scuffle, the instruments spill out. Without thinking, Angie stabs Full with one of the scalpels, killing him. Initially shocked, she quickly recovers and disposes of the body. Luckily, Full had taught her how to use the kit, so she sees no obstacle to continuing to treat rich patients.

Back in the future, the technician responsible for the bag notes that it has been used for murder and deactivates it. Previously, the patients had been blindfolded during their operations, but Angie's first client sees the sharp instruments and balks at another treatment. To reassure her, Angie demonstrates the safety of the scalpel by running it across her own throat, with fatal results.