I was first introduced to The Three Army Surgeons via Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things.  To be quite honest, it was probably one of the most gruesome parts of the book and it really stood out because of the premise of the story.

The Three Army Surgeons is a tale of three outstanding surgeons that believe they are so good at their craft that they are willing to cut off their own hand, heart, and eye to prove their talent.  The true key was actually a secret healing salve that they carried with them everywhere.  Unfortunately, a forgetful inn girl and a cat end up making a grave mistake and each organ ends up being replaced with an alternative.  The next morning, the surgeons healed themselves, but soon discovered that something was just not right.  How do the surgeons decide to resolve this issue?  Read the short tale here to find out!

Considering the premise of the story, I was actually a bit surprised by the mild ending!  And, as I read the final word of the tale, I really began to ponder what the moral of the story should be.  I could not come up with a good one, but my mind did start thinking about the fine line between the foods we consume every day and how they effect us too.

“You are what you eat”, is a slogan that I love to use to show the mental aspect of vegetarianism. When animals are slaughtered, fear and aggression enzymes are shot into their muscle tissue. They remain in the meat until the consumer ingests the flesh and adapts the same emotions. Fruits and vegetables do not have emotions; therefore, when they are picked they do not release any emotional cells prior to digestion. The enzymes within fruits and vegetables supply the body with sufficient nutrients that will always uphold a healthy state of mind.