# Doctor Heraclius Gloss — Short Fiction character guide > Doctor Heraclius Gloss in Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Heraclius Gloss, Doctor Heraclius, the learned Heraclius, Heraclius, Reverse Doctor Heraclius, Doctor **First appearance:** 0005-doctor-heraclius-gloss ## Snapshot A learned doctor whose restless mind turns from medicine to metempsychosis, chasing a mysterious manuscript that may prove souls migrate between bodies. ## Who they are Gloss moves through the world as a respected man of science whose curiosity has quietly outgrown the limits of his profession. The manuscript he pursues promises proof of a doctrine the church and the academy would both reject, and the more he studies it the less he can separate scholarship from obsession. His hunger to know what lies beyond ordinary experience drives the story's central inquiry into identity, memory, and the boundaries of the self. ## Relationships ### [Mother Magloire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/characters/mother_magloire) _professional_ Doctor Heraclius Gloss and Mother Magloire have a working relationship, with her assisting in his questionable practices. ### [Mother Magloire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/characters/mother_magloire) _professional_ Doctor Heraclius Gloss and Mother Magloire have a working relationship, with her assisting in his questionable practices. ### [Mother Magloire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/characters/mother_magloire) _professional_ Doctor Heraclius Gloss and Mother Magloire have a working relationship, with her assisting in his questionable practices. ## In the story ### [Doctor Heraclius Gloss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/doctor-heraclius-gloss) The central figure, a scholar whose acquisition of a manuscript sparks his obsessive quest. ### [I: The Mental Faculties of Doctor Heraclius Gloss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i-the-mental-faculties-of-doctor-heraclius-gloss) Introduced as a very learned man in Balançon, inheriting the title 'Doctor' from his father and grandfather, possessing a vast study of forty shelves of books, and respected by the Dean and Warden. ### [II: The Physical Appearance of Doctor Heraclius Gloss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii-the-physical-appearance-of-doctor-heraclius-gloss) The chapter focuses entirely on his physical description, comparing him to a rat, ant, and terrier, and noting his extreme thinness, spectacles, wig, and love for animals and roast quails. ### [How Doctor Heraclius Used to Spend His Days](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii-how-doctor-heraclius-used-to-spend-his-days) The protagonist of the chapter, shown in his daily routine of gardening, lunching, and spending hours in the Ruelle des Vieus Pigeons searching for philosophical truth. ### [IV: How Doctor Heraclius Spent His Nights](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iv-how-doctor-heraclius-spent-his-nights) The chapter focuses on his nightly routine of reading, pondering, and attempting to reconcile conflicting philosophies. ### [How the Dean Placed His Hopes in Eclecticism, the Doctor in Revelation and the Warden in Digestion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/v-how-the-dean-placed-his-hopes-in-eclecticism-the-doctor-in-revelation-and-the-warden-in-digestion) Argues for absolutism and revelation as the path to truth, comparing it to his experience of love. ### [VI: How for the Doctor the Road to Damascus Turned Out to Be the Ruelle des Vieux Pigeons, and How the Truth Was Revealed to Him in the Form of a Metempsychosic Manuscript](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/vi-how-for-the-doctor-the-road-to-damascus-turned-out-to-be-the-ruelle-des-vieux-pigeons-and-how-the-truth-was-revealed-to-him-in-the-form-of-a-metempsychosic-manuscript) Wakes from a feverish dream, visits the Ruelle des Vieux Pigeons, and discovers the metempsychosic manuscript that reveals the truth about the soul's transmigrations. ### [VII: How One May Interpret a Couplet by Corneille in Two Ways](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/vii-how-one-may-interpret-a-couplet-by-corneille-in-two-ways) Buys the manuscript, deciphers it, and becomes transformed by its revelation. ### [VIII: How, Just as One Can Be More Royalist Than the King and More Devout Than the Pope, One Can Equally Be More of a Metempsychosist Than Pythagoras](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/viii-how-just-as-one-can-be-more-royalist-than-the-king-and-more-devout-than-the-pope-one-can-equally-be-more-of-a-metempsychosist-than-pythagoras) Embraces metempsychosis with extreme conviction, calculating soul transmigrations and animal forms. ### [IX: Obverse and Reverse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ix-obverse-and-reverse) Revels in his discovery of metempsychosis, tries to convert others, and is annoyed by the Dean's skepticism and the Warden's jests. ### [X: How a Mountebank Can Be More Cunning Than a Learned Doctor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/x-how-a-mountebank-can-be-more-cunning-than-a-learned-doctor) Continues his obsessive search for animal reincarnation; buys a monkey he believes is a transmigrated human. ### [XI: In Which It Is Shown That Heraclius Gloss Was in No Way Exempt from All the Weaknesses of the Stronger Sex](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xi-in-which-it-is-shown-that-heraclius-gloss-was-in-no-way-exempt-from-all-the-weaknesses-of-the-stronger-sex) Struggles with the domestic problem of introducing the wild man into his home, fearing his servant Honorine's reaction; his past weakness with a shepherdess is revealed. ### [XII: Which Explains How Doctor and Animal Tamer Are in No Way Synonymous](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xii-which-explains-how-doctor-and-animal-tamer-are-in-no-way-synonymous) Frees the monkey from its cage to study it, is chased out, and eventually uses starvation to regain control, ending in friendship. ### [XIII: How Doctor Heraclius Gloss Found Himself in Exactly the Same Position as Good King Henry IV Who, Having Heard Two Leading Counsel Plead Their Case, Was of Opinion That Both Were Right](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xiii-how-doctor-heraclius-gloss-found-himself-in-exactly-the-same-position-as-good-king-henry-iv-who-having-heard-two-leading-counsel-plead-their-case-was-of-opinion-that-both-were-right) Observes his monkey and dog, philosophizing on instinct versus reason, and intervenes in their scuffle. ### [XIV: How Heraclius All but Devoured a Dish of Beautiful Ladies of a Past Age](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xiv-how-heraclius-all-but-devoured-a-dish-of-beautiful-ladies-of-a-past-age) Struggles with the temptation of eating quail after reading a passage about metempsychosis, ultimately renouncing meat. ### [XV: How the Warden Interpreted God’s Commandments](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xv-how-the-warden-interpreted-god-s-commandments) Hosts the Dean and Warden in his study, explains his dietary prohibitions. ### [How the Forty-Second Reading of the Manuscript Shed New Light Into the Doctor’s Mind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xvi-how-the-forty-second-reading-of-the-manuscript-shed-new-light-into-the-doctor-s-mind) The Doctor experiences a sudden revelation during his forty-second reading of the manuscript, leading him to believe the author may be alive in his own time. ### [How Doctor Heraclius Gloss Set About Finding the Author of the Manuscript](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xvii-how-doctor-heraclius-gloss-set-about-finding-the-author-of-the-manuscript) Places a cryptic advertisement in the Balançon Star and anxiously awaits a reply at the post office each day. ### [XVIII: In Which Doctor Heraclius Recognises with Amazement the Author of the Manuscript](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xviii-in-which-doctor-heraclius-recognises-with-amazement-the-author-of-the-manuscript) The doctor, unable to sleep, goes to his study and is initially terrified by the sight of what appears to be himself, only to discover it is his monkey, whom he embraces as the author of the manuscript. ### [XIX: How the Doctor Was Placed in a Terrible Dilemma](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xix-how-the-doctor-was-placed-in-a-terrible-dilemma) The Doctor is plunged into a terrible dilemma upon discovering that the soul he sought resides in a monkey, forcing him to confront the limits of his mission and his own moral scruples. ### [XX: In Which the Doctor Has a Little Talk with His Servant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xx-in-which-the-doctor-has-a-little-talk-with-his-servant) Wakes after fainting, demands respect for his monkey, and is perceived as mad by his servant. ### [XXI: In Which It Is Shown That a Dearly-Loved Friend Can Lighten the Heaviest Sorrow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxi-in-which-it-is-shown-that-a-dearly-loved-friend-can-lighten-the-heaviest-sorrow) Becomes the humble valet of his monkey, lavishing it with tender care and philosophical conversation, finding solace from his isolation and grief. ### [XXII: In Which the Doctor Discovers That His Monkey Resembles Him Even More Than He Thought](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxii-in-which-the-doctor-discovers-that-his-monkey-resembles-him-even-more-than-he-thought) The Doctor is awakened by noise and rushes to the kitchen to stop his housekeeper's cruel game with his monkey. ### [XXIII: How the Doctor Realized That His Monkey Had Shamefully Imposed Upon Him](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxiii-how-the-doctor-realized-that-his-monkey-had-shamefully-imposed-upon-him) Discovers his monkey has deceived him; thrashes the animal, pursues the manuscript, and ultimately recovers it with only three pages missing. ### [XXIV: Eureka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxiv-eureka) Confides his despair to the Warden and experiences a revelation that he is the author of the manuscript. ### [XXV: “I Am That I Am.”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxv-i-am-that-i-am) Filled with tremendous pride, believing himself to be Pythagoras reincarnated; isolates himself with animals, forbids killing pests, and becomes alienated from humanity. ### [XXVI: What Was Said at Madame Labotte’s, the Fruiterer’s, 26, Rue de la Maraicherie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxvi-what-was-said-at-madame-labotte-s-the-fruiterer-s-26-rue-de-la-maraicherie) His housekeeper reports his madness about animals, including freeing a mouse from a trap. ### [How Doctor Heraclius Did Not Agree with the Dauphin, Who, Having Saved a Monkey from Drowning, Threw It Back Again and Went Off to Find a Man to Save Instead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxvii-how-doctor-heraclius-did-not-agree-with-the-dauphin-who-having-saved-a-monkey-from-drowning-threw-it-back-again-and-went-off-to-find-a-man-to-save-instead) Rescues a drowning kitten from cruel children, displaying compassion and rage. ### [XXVIII: “This Story Will Show You That, if You Want to Save a Fellow Creature from Blows and Believe That It Is Better to Rescue a Cat Than a Man, You Will Excite the Anger of Your Neighbours. All Roads Lead to Rome—But Metempsychosis Leads to the Lunatic Asylum.”—Balançon Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxviii-this-story-will-show-you-that-if-you-want-to-save-a-fellow-creature-from-blows-and-believe-that-it-is-better-to-rescue-a-cat-than-a-man-you-will-excite-the-anger-of-your-neighbours-all-roads-lead-to-rome-but-metempsychosis-leads-to-the-lunatic-asylum-balan-on-star) Arrested and committed to an asylum after a mob attack; struggles with his belief in metempsychosis and confronts a rival claimant. ### [XXIX: How One Sometimes Exchanges Scylla for Charybdis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxix-how-one-sometimes-exchanges-scylla-for-charybdis) Released from the asylum, he is tormented by street urchins, kills his monkey and garden animals in a rage, and is eventually recommitted. ### [XXX: How the Proverb—“The Madder One Is, the More One Laughs”—Is Not Always Quite True](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxx-how-the-proverb-the-madder-one-is-the-more-one-laughs-is-not-always-quite-true) Engages in a heated confrontation with Dagobert over the manuscript on metempsychosis, leading to a factional split in the community. ### [Dreams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/dreams) The doctor who recounts his personal experience with ether, describing its effects as a clear, logical intoxication that enhances mental powers. ### [The Child](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-child) The doctor narrates the story of Madame Hélène, defending her actions as a consequence of uncontrollable natural passions and criticizing society's hypocritical morality. ### [The Chair Mender](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-chair-mender) The doctor arbitrates the debate on love and recounts the story of the chair mender's lifelong passion. ### [An Artifice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/an-artifice) The old doctor who narrates the story of assisting Madame Lelièvre in hiding her lover's death. ### [An Old Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/an-old-man) The doctor in charge of the springs at Rondelis, who is asked by M. Daron to provide weekly reports on all inhabitants over eighty and to inform him of their deaths. ### [A Christmas Tale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-christmas-tale) Narrator of the story, a country doctor in Rolleville who witnesses the possession and the miracle. ### [Beside a Dead Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/beside-a-dead-man) The dying German man who was a friend of Schopenhauer and recounts the night of his death. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i) The physician who tells the story of the Comtesse Marie Baranow. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii) The narrator of the story, who treats the Comtesse and observes the stranger's silent devotion. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii) The narrator who discovers Miss Harriet's body and reflects on her tragic life. ### [A Coup d'État](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-coup-d-tat) Doctor Massarel, the Republican leader, orchestrates the coup in Canneville, displaying fervent patriotism and impulsive authority. ### [The Hand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-hand) Monsieur Bermutier, the examining magistrate, is the narrator of the story, though not explicitly named in the provided text; the canonical ID is used as a placeholder for the magistrate figure. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii) The narrator of the story, who returns to Bombay after two years and learns of Châli's tragic fate. ### [A Woman’s Hair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-woman-s-hair) The doctor who presents the manuscript and the lock of hair to the narrator, explaining the man's obsession and madness. ### [Berthe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/berthe) The narrator and physician who treats Berthe, devises experiments to stimulate her mind, and later advises on her marriage. ### [The Christening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-christening) The narrator and naval doctor who tells the story of the tragic christening. ### [Little Roque](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/little-roque) The doctor who examines the body, confirms rape and strangulation, and discusses the crime with Renardet. ### [A Divorce Case](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-divorce-case) Not directly present; the chapter references a 'learned' counsel who compares the husband to a mad prince, but no direct appearance. ### [Clochette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/clochette) The doctor who treated Clochette's broken leg and later reveals the secret story of her accident and love affair. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i) Not present in this chapter. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii) Not present in this chapter. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii) Not present in this chapter. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/characters/doctor_heraclius_gloss - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/characters