Black Jack Volume 3 by Osamu Tezuka

Black Jack, the famous unlicensed physician, is back in another volume of 15 stories of medical mysteries and urgent surgeries.

In "Disowned Son" BlackJack, stranded in a country town by a problem with the railroad, is taken in by an old woman with three sons. It's her birthday, and she's invited them all to visit her, but none of them can make it. But when her disowned son shows up, she rejects him. Can BlackJack save her life when she collapses and save her relationship with her other son, who wants to be a doctor?

"Shrinking" sets BlackJack on the trail of a strange disease that shrinks both animals and humans and kills as the victim grows ever smaller. But when his friend and mentor contracts the disease, can BlackJack save him, or is this one he is destined to lose?

In "Dingoes", BlackJack visits a friend in Australia, only to find him and his whole family dead of a strange disease which causes red spots. But when BlackJack himself falls prey to the same disease, he must perform surgery on himself in the Outback while fending off a band of Dingoes to save his own life.

When a nurse is blamed for the fatal mistake of a careless Doctor in "Your Mistake", she loses her job, and BlackJack must help her gain justice from the Doctor and his father, who is the Director of a very large hospital.

In "The Robin and the Boy", a bird keeps bringing BlackJack money, and he must find out why. The answer is a story of help repaid, even unto the point of death. But can BlackJack help the child who helped the Robin first?

In "The Boy Who Came From the Sky" BlackJack is approached by a defecting soldier and his wife with a plea to help their son, afflicted with a rare disease, it might already be too late for the boy. But thanks to the sacrifice of both parents, BlackJack can save the child. But at what cost?

In "BlackJack in Hospital", BlackJack himself is injured in an auto accident. The surgeon in charge saves him, but he knows BlackJack and makes him sweat during every minute of the operation to save BlackJack's arm, threatening to let it stay injured so that he can never operate unlicensed again. But when the surgeon's sister falls in love with BlackJack, he must help her gain confidence in her own surgical abilities when her brother is injured.

In "A Woman's Case", Blackjack saves the life of a woman who collapsed at a train station. But her attempts to repay him are too extravagant. All he wants is some Ramen. But when her husband dies, will she finally be able to repay BlackJack in the way he wants?

In "Two Dark Doctors" BlackJack has an encounter with a physician who helps others commit suicide. They have been engaged on behalf of the same woman. But who will win out in the end?

In "The Residents", BlackJack is asked for help by three non-surgical residents who want him to perform surgery on a patient of theirs, in defiance of an order by their superior, a noted surgeon. They believe they know better than he does. But will BlackJack support them, or refuse to go against the orders of their superior?

In "Recollections of a Spinster", a former nurse remembers how she helped BlackJack save the life of a pregnant woman who collapsed. But will helping him against the wishes of her hospital superiors cut her career fatally short?

Pinoko is attempting to be domestic in "Pinoko Loves You", but she instead raises BlackJack's ire with burnt bread and inedible food. But when BlackJack needs a kidney to save a dying boy on his operating table, Pinoko offers her own out of love. But does the offer come too late?

In "Tenacity" a boy studying to take the Medical Exams collapses during the test, His entire life he has wanted to be a doctor to save people from cancer, like his parents that died. But now he, too, is sick and dying. Can he still have his wish to save others fulfilled, or will it pass by the wayside with his illness?

"An Odd Relationship"-Two men come to BlackJack to be healed. One a young man who has been shot, the other a detective chasing a former Bank Robber. Separated by the wall of their rooms, they become friendly with each other, even though the young man is, unbeknownst to the detective, the crook he has been seeking. Can BlackJack engineer a happy ending?

And finally, in "Baby Blues" a young Bad Girl finds a baby in a locker at a bus station after she robbed the key from the woman holding it. her attempts to feed and help the baby are clumsy, but when BlackJack finds out her secret, can he keep the infant, who has rickets, alive long enough for the proper authorities to claim it?

Another excellent book of medical mysteries, done really old school. BlackJack isn't perfect, and he can be arrogant and lose his temper easily, but he generally believes in the goodness of people, and can be amazed at how admirably they can act in defense of someone they love.

And the stories aren't always about BlackJack himself, but about the people he encounters, like the story "Tenacity". A Surgeon dying of cancer goes to all sorts of lengths to save the life of a young woman, right to the end where he continues operating as he, himself, is dying. Or there's the story of the nurse who is ordered to stay away from helping BlackJack but ignores orders to do the right thing.

So much of BlackJack is about hope, and doing the right thing, even if it causes you to ignore orders or break rules. Orders and rules can't compare to life and hope, and helping others. It makes me feel happy to read these stories because they uphold life and hope and helping others. I recommend these books highly.