# II: When You Have Lost Your Life Consult a Physician explained — Can Such Things Be?

> Chapter companion for Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

Dr. Stilling Malson encounters a man on the Stone's River battlefield who claims to be a lieutenant in the Federal army but is dressed in civilian clothes and seems disoriented. The doctor, suspecting a case of lost identity, questions him but offers no help, and the man walks away.

## Themes in this chapter

### Identity and Self

The lieutenant's lost identity and the doctor's recognition of a case of amnesia highlight the theme of self and memory.

### Madness and Perception

The lieutenant's confusion and the doctor's clinical observation blur the line between sanity and delusion.

## Character check-ins

### Brainerd Byring

The disoriented lieutenant who has lost his memory and identity after being struck by a bullet.

### Dr. Dorrimore

Dr. Stilling Malson, the physician who encounters the lieutenant and questions him about his condition.

## Key lines

> I was struck by a bullet and have been unconscious. It must have been a light, glancing blow: I find no blood and feel no pain.

The lieutenant explains that he was hit by a bullet and lost consciousness, but the wound seems minor.

_The lieutenant's description of his injury and lack of pain suggests a psychological rather than physical trauma._

> You are quite sure that you saw them?

The doctor questions whether the lieutenant actually saw the troops he claims to have seen.

_The doctor's skepticism hints at the lieutenant's unreliable perception._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/can_such_things_be_se/chapters/ii-when-you-have-lost-your-life-consult-a-physician
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/can_such_things_be_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/can_such_things_be_se/chapters