Summary

1888-1908—The Human Renaissance

After the fire and the tragedy of his wife’s blindness, Dr. Black resolves to expand, not restrict, his interest in mythical anatomy. He begins work on a new show, the Human Renaissance, which features living creatures fashioned out of parts of different animals, such as a beagle with wings on its back. Some of the performers in the Human Renaissance are Dr. Black’s former patients from Ward C, who have now been given wings or tails or transplanted legs. In one show, Dr. Black seems to transplant legs onto a man, who walks within an hour of the operation. This show makes Dr. Black more and more threatening to mainstream scientists and doctors, but it also brings him a huge following among the sick and deformed, who come to him hoping...