Completed in 1960, but not released until 1962.
The phrase "WHAT IS PAST IS PROLOGUE" appears before the movie fades out. This quotation is from William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and suggests that everything that happened before has led to this moment. "The Tempest" explores the theme of ego and id. Like Prospero in "The Tempest", Dr. Harding's ego has gotten the better of him and while his decision to save Vernon Paris' hands seems sensible, the hand transplant turned out to be irresponsible.
Experimental surgery like this could never be performed now (2020) without informed consent of the patient. As a result of Nazi experimentation, the Nuremberg Code was established in 1947 that required informed consent. However, the Nuremberg Code was simply a code of behavior and not legally binding. The Declaration of Helsinki, which upheld the principle of patient consent, was later ratified in 1964. Although the US, as of 2008, no longer recognizes the Declaration of Helsinki, the principle that patients give informed consent to any experimental procedure is still legally binding.
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