The Mysterious Doctor Cornelius 1: The Sculptor of Human Flesh

The modern literary archetype of the mad scientist was wonderfully incarnated in the French proto-science fiction saga of The Mysterious Dr. Cornelius, a sprawling novel serialized in eighteen volumes in 1912-13, written by the prolific Gustave Le Rouge, author of The Vampires of Mars and The Dominion of the World. Dr. Cornelius Kramm and his brother, Fritz, rule an international criminal empire called the Red Hand. Cornelius is a brilliant surgeon, nicknamed the “Sculptor of Human Flesh” because of his diabolical ability to alter people’s likenesses through the science of carnoplasty. One of Cornelius’ agents is the sadistic sociopath Baruch Jorgell, the son of millionaire Fred Jorgell. Cornelius uses his surgical prowess to change Baruch’s face, making him unrecognizable. But the Red Hand’s growing, global, evil web eventually causes the creation of an alliance of heroes, who band together to fight it: Dr. Prosper Bondonnat, a brilliant French biologist and botanist; American billionaire William Dorgan and his son, Harry, who is in love Baruch’s kind-hearted sister, Isadora; and finally, Lord Burydan, a colorful, freebooting adventurer. Gustave Le Rouge (1867-1938) was one of the authors who most embodied the evolution of modern science fiction, moving it away from its juvenile beginnings by incorporating real emotions into his stories, bridging the gap between Vernian and Wellsian science fiction.