The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether  (Paperback, Edgar Allan Poe)

Edgar Allan Poe, a native of the United States, wrote the darkly humorous short story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether." The narrative centres on an unidentified narrator who travels to a mental hospital in southern France (more precisely, a "Maison de Santé") that uses the "system of soothing.," a cutting-edge new approach to treating mental diseases. Before leaving the narrator, a travelling companion introduces himself to Monsieur Maillard, the system's creator, who is familiar with him. The revelation that the "system of soothing." has lately been abandoned astounded the narrator. He is sceptical of this because he is aware of its popularity and success. "Believe nothing you hear, and just one half of what you see," Maillard counsels him.