The Combine

A combine is a harvester used by farmers to reap grain crops. I do not even believe that McMurphy is vulnerable.  I think he has an advantage to get away from the figurative combine because he can use his head.  The other patients are already sucked in and always drugged up but McMurphy is like a mentos in a diet coke.  All he has to do is remain himself and continue to function on his own and the combine will not get to him.  It has not already gotten to him because he constantly defies Big Nurse and the everyday rules of the institution.

I do not believe every institution is a combine.  A combine only goes as far as their are people who do not think for themselves.  IF you think for yourself and are a leader than you can counteract the combine.  Some institutions are but there is always rebellion and people who will not accept order.

Asylum vs. School

The biggest similarity between the two is the strict rules.  Like the electronic device policy for school is pretty outrageous.  If they were to make the rule to only not use them during class but in passing time you could, it would cut down the amount of texting during classes and such because people would just wait for after class.  The asylum has dumb rules like the toothpaste rule.  These rules are for equal discipline and they make us feel like we are inferior to those who make dumb rules.

Between the two institutions there is also a very rigged schedule that we abide by,  In school we have a period set everyday and are allotted a certain amount of time between classes and really do not have an opportunity to go outside or break away from the daily routine.  In the asylum it is even harsher because there are severe consequences for breaking routine, like electroshock therapy or a trip to the disturbed ward.  For school the consequences are Saturday school or detention but I do not think those are as severe or life threatening.

The buildings themselves are very similar too.  They are open and have lots of rooms in them.  Schools are very basic and do not have a lot of color in them.  I have never been to an asylum but I am sure they are not the most cheerful and upbeat places in the world.  It is described as a gloomy building with nothing on the walls.  That is basically how schools look too, probably because administrators do not want a "distraction."  When in actuality the less exciting rooms are more of a distraction because they bring the mood down.

Doctor's Experimental Rights

The times have most definitely changed in the field and the practice of medicine.  Maybe fifty or so years ago when doctors did not really understand the human body as much, it was okay to experiment on patients when there was no cure available.  My only justification for this is that when a loved one is ill you will pretty much let the doctor do anything to make them better.  Sometimes the experiments worked but unfortunately they made the problem worse a lot of the time.  This may not be the safest but best solution but that is how we evolved into modern medicine; with trial and error.  It is better to experiment on humans who are terminally ill rather than test on animals that do not have the same bodies or reactions as humans.  We get better results if we experiment on our own kind. 

Nowadays I would say that this is not a good idea because there is always another way to cure someone rather than just to experiment randomly with no idea how the outcome will be.  This would cause a lot of court cases and a lot of money on everyone's part.  The only time this is okay is if you have the patients consent.  If the patient agrees you can do whatever you want because they signed their life to it.  If a patient is going to consent they cannot get mad if it does not go their way because they signed for a experimental treatment, not a definite cure.  Bottom line, if we are talking about present day it is not okay to experiment on a patient unless they have consent from the patient.  If we are talking about back in the day, I would say go for the experiment if you have nothing to lose.