Beyond Pandora

"Beyond Pandora" by Robert J. Martin is a science fiction story from the early 1960s that considers what could happen to humanity when technology can quickly rebuild body parts, raising questions about right and wrong in medicine and what it means to be human when science moves fast. The story shows a doctor talking to a patient who is worried about getting another treatment after having big changes to their body, like growing back teeth and a thumb; the doctor calms the patient by explaining how the treatment's vaccine used to cause harm, like cancer, but now is safe to use. The exchange highlights how people first fear new technology but then learn to use it for good. The narrative asks important questions about our connection to progress and what we should think about when science makes big steps.