The Ablest Man in the World
Encyclopedia
"The Ablest Man in the World" is a short story
by Edward Page Mitchell
. It was written in 1879.
. While he is there, Baron
Savitch, a rising Russian politician, is said to be ill by one of the hotel staff. Fisher is led into the baron’s room where he finds the baron ill and shaking. Fisher notices that the baron’s head is somewhat peculiar. The baron’s head has a black silk skullcap which Fisher removes and finds the top of the baron’s head to be a silver dome. The baron tells him to unscrew it but before he can, Dr. Rapperschwyll, the baron's doctor, comes in and tells Fisher to get out.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding Savitch, mostly concerning his humble beginnings to his rise in the Tsar
's court after graduating from the University of Dorpat.
Wanting to know more, Fisher confronts Rapperschwyll at an old observation tower when the ladder falls and they find themselves trapped up there for hours. Rapperschwyll, after swearing Fisher to secrecy, tells him the story of Baron Savitch.
Baron Savitch grew up in a mental asylum
and was mute and retarded. Rapperschwyll found him there one day and with his skill in medicine and watch making he made a clockwork
brain
for Savitch explicitly superior to Charles Babbage
's difference engine
. With this mechanical brain, Baron Savitch cannot make a mistake and with time will rise to become the next Napoleon.
Later in Paris
, Fisher finds Baron Savitch on a diplomatic mission. He learns Savitch will soon marry and is disgusted by the idea of a woman being married to a machine. He finds that Rapperschwyll has returned to his native Switzerland
, visiting his dying mother. With this knowledge, Fisher waits for the baron to feel ill again. Once that has happened Fisher comes to his aid as a doctor. With the baron's guard down, Fisher takes his brain, runs off with it and later throws it into the Atlantic ocean on his return trip to America.
Originally published unattributed in the NY Sun May 4, 1879. Reprinted in Stories by American Authors, Vol. 10. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1884 and in The Crystal Man: Stories by Edward Page Mitchell, Sam Moskowitz, ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1973.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Edward Page Mitchell
Edward Page Mitchell
Edward Page Mitchell was an American editorial and short story writer for the New York Sun, a daily newspaper. He became that newspaper's editor in 1897, succeeding Charles Anderson Dana. Mitchell retired in 1926, a year before dying of a cerebral hemorrhage...
. It was written in 1879.
Plot summary
Dr. Fisher is spending his July holiday in BadenBaden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
. While he is there, Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Savitch, a rising Russian politician, is said to be ill by one of the hotel staff. Fisher is led into the baron’s room where he finds the baron ill and shaking. Fisher notices that the baron’s head is somewhat peculiar. The baron’s head has a black silk skullcap which Fisher removes and finds the top of the baron’s head to be a silver dome. The baron tells him to unscrew it but before he can, Dr. Rapperschwyll, the baron's doctor, comes in and tells Fisher to get out.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding Savitch, mostly concerning his humble beginnings to his rise in the Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
's court after graduating from the University of Dorpat.
Wanting to know more, Fisher confronts Rapperschwyll at an old observation tower when the ladder falls and they find themselves trapped up there for hours. Rapperschwyll, after swearing Fisher to secrecy, tells him the story of Baron Savitch.
Baron Savitch grew up in a mental asylum
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
and was mute and retarded. Rapperschwyll found him there one day and with his skill in medicine and watch making he made a clockwork
Clockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
for Savitch explicitly superior to Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
's difference engine
Difference engine
A difference engine is an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. Both logarithmic and trigonometric functions can be approximated by polynomials, so a difference engine can compute many useful sets of numbers.-History:...
. With this mechanical brain, Baron Savitch cannot make a mistake and with time will rise to become the next Napoleon.
Later in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Fisher finds Baron Savitch on a diplomatic mission. He learns Savitch will soon marry and is disgusted by the idea of a woman being married to a machine. He finds that Rapperschwyll has returned to his native Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, visiting his dying mother. With this knowledge, Fisher waits for the baron to feel ill again. Once that has happened Fisher comes to his aid as a doctor. With the baron's guard down, Fisher takes his brain, runs off with it and later throws it into the Atlantic ocean on his return trip to America.
Originally published unattributed in the NY Sun May 4, 1879. Reprinted in Stories by American Authors, Vol. 10. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1884 and in The Crystal Man: Stories by Edward Page Mitchell, Sam Moskowitz, ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1973.