Reductionism

"I say inspector!", cried the doctor, "the patient seems to be reviving!" The eccentric doctor in the mustard coat and blue hat, took a stethoscope out of his hat. "By George! Pulse is stabilising!" Lowering his voice he continued. "It's as if he's been cured by causes unknown."

The Inspector turned a smokey glare on the doctor. "So this is no longer a death scene? Good. I'm tired of crime scenes." He stomped gently and quietly into the next room, while the patient's eyes began to flicker. Then they opened. Words began to murmur from his mouth.

"Don't worry, sonny Jim," soothed the doctor, "you'll be fine now. Can you tell us what happened?"

"I just e-mailed my final thesis for printing. I think..." the patient shuddered for a moment, "I think I was free for the first time in five years..." As a beatific smile spread across his face, the patient closed his eyes and began to peacefully snore.

From just beyond the kitchen doorway, the Inspector came in quietly and smiled. "Who found him?"

"It was the landlady. It's almost always the landlady in these cases." The doctor put the patient into a more comfortably position, and straightened. "I think it's time to go. His girlfriend can keep an eye on him now."

"Righty ho. Good job, Doctor."

The two departed, leaving the now former student asleep on his bedroom floor.

***

'Reductionism: a theory that all complex systems can be completely understood in terms of their components'