The Patient of Dr. Van Linden

Renowned hepatologist Abel Van Linden has just arrived in New York when he's summoned to London to treat a peculiar patient: Salomon, a man with a monstrous visage and a mysterious terminal illness. As Dr. Van Linden prepares to perform surgery to save this patient's life, however, he hears Salomon's whole story, and all his moments of anguish, suffering, and terror.Abandoned by his father after his mother died in childbirth, Salomon is raised in an orphanage, hidden from other people. With no social life and no knowledge of the world, Salomon, as a child, begins to develop his gift: painting. Salomon's talent eventually catches the attention of the ambitious millionaire Edward Shellen, who enslaves him in order to sign and sell Salomon's masterpieces as his own. It's Shellen, with the help of a mysterious woman, who finds that it's necessary for Salomon to ingest fresh, healthy human liver to keep his disease at bay.As the story progresses, Dr. Van Linden realizes that this monstrous man isn't a simple victim. Under the influence of his arts tutor, Salomon becomes a disturbed psychopath who, when he falls in love with Shellen's fianc e, becomes a true monster. To obtain her love, Salomon kills people to devour their livers. With each liver eaten, Salomon becomes physically healthier and stronger while, at the same time, his values are lost.