The Autotrophic Man
'Patience' had been the watchword for Dr Kapur. Be it reading a book or treating a patient, he was ready to wait. Kapur worked in a small hospital that was situated outside the village of Na-280 (Present day Narosipur). His routine had become rather boring and monotonous after hundred years of village life. Patience with these human patients was becoming rather stressful. He was a city fanatic, he always had been. The adventures of city life appealed to him more than its privileges. He hoped someday to join a city hospital, where he could treat complicated cases of all those mutants and evolved humans. He was feeling frustrated being with these ordinary humans in the village. His thoughts were revolting against humans, they were weaklings; developing gastric problems eating all the new man made creatures. "Why couldn't they just eat natural things and let him alone?"
The intercom was beeping in a message
"A patient with gastric trouble doctor, he has an appointment with you" the nurse said.
Dr Kapur pressed the blue button summoning the patient. The patient was a human, probably fully natural, without even the basic biosensors. Dr Kapur did not even bother to look at the tele-viewer and engaged age-old pharmaceutical drug treatment. Soon the human was ending the tele-viewer conversation. Kapur exhaled deeply, it was a kind of aversion that he had developed for fellow humans.
He commanded the hospital cafeteria robot for a drink. The robot took a few minutes for processing the order. An android appeared holding a tray. Placed on the tray was a glass tumbler filled with a flavor drink. The drink had as many as a hundred flavors extracted from various organic sources. There was a light dememoriser dissolved in the drink. Kapur did not like the flavor drink, but it allowed you to forget all about the previous human meeting. He took it more as a medicine rather than refreshment.
"Another patient with gastric trouble doctor, shall I send him in?" asked the nurse.
He pressed the red button marked 'privacy destroyer' to activate outgoing speech and replied, "Well I am not in a mood to attend to these silly patients, send him to Dr PC-360."
A few minutes later the nurse was back again, "This patient is insisting on seeing a human doctor, he claims to be a partial mutant." These words had an electrifying effect on Dr Kapur; he surely was in a mood to treat a mutant, even if he was partial. After all it was better than a boring human case. "Send him in"
The patient who entered looked quiet human. Kapur was about to disengage his tele-examiner when he remembered this was a partial mutant. The patient was using a very old version of the tele-viewer software or may be it was an Internet browser or something. The hologram was either 2-d or non-existent. The patient appeared to be immobile. He was strapped onto a home-medico robot. The voice came out in bursts of speech, courtesy overburdened broadband. Kapur asked the Tele-examiner to repeat the communication. The monotonous voice of the computer began, "I am a partial mutant. I have developed severe stomach ache and gastric problem."
"For how long?"
He replied "from the past one week." "My digestive system is mainly rudimentary, it has no function as such. It had been deactivated when I became a mutant." "I don't know what's triggering it now"
Kapur asked, "Can you explain more specifically what type of mutant you are?"
"Well let me show you my skin", so saying he uncovered his arm. The arm was a dark shade of green. "This is no skin disease, this is my power my better part. Humans as well as these evolved humans are basically slaves. All of them have to depend on some other organism for food. They are as good as dead without other species."
"I made myself an autotroph, to get rid of the daily headache of eating. I just have to move around in the sunlight to feed myself. However I do take raw minerals and vitamins once a year. It is abundantly available in the soil and I don't depend on any living creature. I have a few plant genes to produce the essential amino acids."
"How do you convert sunlight into energy?"
"I have plant genes to produce enough chlorophyll in my skin. Just the way you have melanin I have chlorophyll pigment." "The chloroplasts coupled with the mitochondria produce as much ATP as I would get by eating three meals."
"I will be able to treat you better, if you can explain how your digestive system was deactivated?"
"The useful genes of the cells of the digestive system were hetero-chromatinised. It was a proper job, I did not have any problems for the past year I have been a mutant."
"Mail me your genome map, I prefer it to be in database format rather than analyzed format."
It was a few minutes before the genome map could squeeze itself through the slow broadband. Kapur put the tele-examiner on an analysis mode. The 23 chromosomes were now visible on the screen. He commanded "seventh chromosome details." Instantaneously the seventh chromosome was enlarged showing the various zones of introns and exons. Kapur was concentrating on the arrangement rather than finding spontaneous mutations.
He went onto look for genes that showed any sensitivity. He was rather surprised to see none. It was like one of those genomes of evolved humans. He rather stealthily saved the genome. It was surely against medical ethics. But who cared, as long it was not used for any other purposes other than for ones personal collection. It was one of his pass time jobs to trick the stupid computer. He had written a viral bug to overcome the computers inability to save genome maps.
The Tele-examiner was soon lining up relevant data. The procedure had been rather simple. The cells had been treated with heterocromatinactivase for a period of 3-days and a mild antibiotic had been used to kill all the other cells of the digestive system. Now it was quiet clear to Kapur that a few cells resistant to the antibiotic had survived and grown into the tissue that was now causing the entire problem. The resistant cells were expressing the genes on the fifteenth chromosome in the cd8 zone. These genes were producing acid. This acid had been the cause of the gastric problems of the autotroph.
It was quiet a complicated problem, which may necessitate a surgical removal of cells if the tissue was a multiple drug resistant strain. However, he said, "I will have to perform a surgery, a twentieth century technique by which those cells have to be cut out of your body."
The autotrophic man was surely petrified at the idea of having to be cut open. It was the worst nightmare of medicine. Although human ancestors were known to have conducted innumerable surgeries, very few doctors were still capable of performing surgeries. He went on to ask, "Are you certified to perform surgeries?"
Kapur had gone on to study surgery mainly because he had failed to get admission for any other specialization. The evolved humans were far more brilliant than ordinary humans and no reservation was allocated for human candidates. He had regretted taking up surgery all his life except on this occasion. He had in front of him the best opportunity to make himself popular with the mutants. He went on to mail his patient his entire career profile authorized by the medical superintends. The patients were allowed to know anything about the doctor as per the new doctor-patients relationship laws.
"I am quiet satisfied with your profile. You can perform my surgery, but be a little civilized in the techniques you use."
Kapur replied, "Doctors are not a bunch of primitive barbarians. You don't have to keep reminding me."
"Well then, you can go ahead with the surgery, I believe my home-medico robot is capable of providing you all the weapons you need to cut me open."
Kapur decided to type in the commands to avoid the risk of the computer mistaking his voice commands. He began the medical procedure by typing in the commands to deactivate the nerves of the digestive system and skin. Then he stopped the flow of blood to these parts as well. The home medico was sterilizing the surgical equipment for the past few seconds and was now ready to go. The incision was nearly 1mm big. It was quiet big for the home medico to send in its army of surgerers (robotic surgeons). These surgerers were equipped with both conventional metal equipment and mild LASER's. Dr.Kapur watched in fascination as the surgerers began killing the overgrown cells. It was like watching one of those twentieth century humans clearing a hillside of plants.
The home medico had cleaned up all the dead cells and was ready to leave the body. Kapur typed in a command to scan the stomach for any remaining cells. The scan was not able to detect any living cells. So Kapur commanded the surgerers to move out. The surgerers were out through the hole and into the sterilizing chamber of the home medico within seconds. The autotroph was gaping at the large hole that had been cut into him. Soon the home medico had stimulated the surrounding cells with growth hormones. The tissue was back in place within seconds. The surgery had been finished within ten minutes.
The autotroph rather happily replied, "Thank you doctor it has been a pleasure getting operated by you. I am to follow any special medication or something like that?"
Kapur replied, "As such you don't need any medication. But in case of any infection your body sensors should be able to release the necessary antibiotics. You will have to pay me 100n^ for my services. If you have a insurance just send my office the details of the procedure."
The autotroph thanked the doctor once again and soon the tele-viewer connection was gone. Kapur was rather pleased at having done a surgery on mutant. After all it was the first one in his career of hundred and fifty years. He hoped the next doctor's report would recommend him to some city hospital. Very soon he fell asleep dreaming about the distant city life.
The intercom was beeping in a message
"A patient with gastric trouble doctor, he has an appointment with you" the nurse said.
Dr Kapur pressed the blue button summoning the patient. The patient was a human, probably fully natural, without even the basic biosensors. Dr Kapur did not even bother to look at the tele-viewer and engaged age-old pharmaceutical drug treatment. Soon the human was ending the tele-viewer conversation. Kapur exhaled deeply, it was a kind of aversion that he had developed for fellow humans.
He commanded the hospital cafeteria robot for a drink. The robot took a few minutes for processing the order. An android appeared holding a tray. Placed on the tray was a glass tumbler filled with a flavor drink. The drink had as many as a hundred flavors extracted from various organic sources. There was a light dememoriser dissolved in the drink. Kapur did not like the flavor drink, but it allowed you to forget all about the previous human meeting. He took it more as a medicine rather than refreshment.
"Another patient with gastric trouble doctor, shall I send him in?" asked the nurse.
He pressed the red button marked 'privacy destroyer' to activate outgoing speech and replied, "Well I am not in a mood to attend to these silly patients, send him to Dr PC-360."
A few minutes later the nurse was back again, "This patient is insisting on seeing a human doctor, he claims to be a partial mutant." These words had an electrifying effect on Dr Kapur; he surely was in a mood to treat a mutant, even if he was partial. After all it was better than a boring human case. "Send him in"
The patient who entered looked quiet human. Kapur was about to disengage his tele-examiner when he remembered this was a partial mutant. The patient was using a very old version of the tele-viewer software or may be it was an Internet browser or something. The hologram was either 2-d or non-existent. The patient appeared to be immobile. He was strapped onto a home-medico robot. The voice came out in bursts of speech, courtesy overburdened broadband. Kapur asked the Tele-examiner to repeat the communication. The monotonous voice of the computer began, "I am a partial mutant. I have developed severe stomach ache and gastric problem."
"For how long?"
He replied "from the past one week." "My digestive system is mainly rudimentary, it has no function as such. It had been deactivated when I became a mutant." "I don't know what's triggering it now"
Kapur asked, "Can you explain more specifically what type of mutant you are?"
"Well let me show you my skin", so saying he uncovered his arm. The arm was a dark shade of green. "This is no skin disease, this is my power my better part. Humans as well as these evolved humans are basically slaves. All of them have to depend on some other organism for food. They are as good as dead without other species."
"I made myself an autotroph, to get rid of the daily headache of eating. I just have to move around in the sunlight to feed myself. However I do take raw minerals and vitamins once a year. It is abundantly available in the soil and I don't depend on any living creature. I have a few plant genes to produce the essential amino acids."
"How do you convert sunlight into energy?"
"I have plant genes to produce enough chlorophyll in my skin. Just the way you have melanin I have chlorophyll pigment." "The chloroplasts coupled with the mitochondria produce as much ATP as I would get by eating three meals."
"I will be able to treat you better, if you can explain how your digestive system was deactivated?"
"The useful genes of the cells of the digestive system were hetero-chromatinised. It was a proper job, I did not have any problems for the past year I have been a mutant."
"Mail me your genome map, I prefer it to be in database format rather than analyzed format."
It was a few minutes before the genome map could squeeze itself through the slow broadband. Kapur put the tele-examiner on an analysis mode. The 23 chromosomes were now visible on the screen. He commanded "seventh chromosome details." Instantaneously the seventh chromosome was enlarged showing the various zones of introns and exons. Kapur was concentrating on the arrangement rather than finding spontaneous mutations.
He went onto look for genes that showed any sensitivity. He was rather surprised to see none. It was like one of those genomes of evolved humans. He rather stealthily saved the genome. It was surely against medical ethics. But who cared, as long it was not used for any other purposes other than for ones personal collection. It was one of his pass time jobs to trick the stupid computer. He had written a viral bug to overcome the computers inability to save genome maps.
The Tele-examiner was soon lining up relevant data. The procedure had been rather simple. The cells had been treated with heterocromatinactivase for a period of 3-days and a mild antibiotic had been used to kill all the other cells of the digestive system. Now it was quiet clear to Kapur that a few cells resistant to the antibiotic had survived and grown into the tissue that was now causing the entire problem. The resistant cells were expressing the genes on the fifteenth chromosome in the cd8 zone. These genes were producing acid. This acid had been the cause of the gastric problems of the autotroph.
It was quiet a complicated problem, which may necessitate a surgical removal of cells if the tissue was a multiple drug resistant strain. However, he said, "I will have to perform a surgery, a twentieth century technique by which those cells have to be cut out of your body."
The autotrophic man was surely petrified at the idea of having to be cut open. It was the worst nightmare of medicine. Although human ancestors were known to have conducted innumerable surgeries, very few doctors were still capable of performing surgeries. He went on to ask, "Are you certified to perform surgeries?"
Kapur had gone on to study surgery mainly because he had failed to get admission for any other specialization. The evolved humans were far more brilliant than ordinary humans and no reservation was allocated for human candidates. He had regretted taking up surgery all his life except on this occasion. He had in front of him the best opportunity to make himself popular with the mutants. He went on to mail his patient his entire career profile authorized by the medical superintends. The patients were allowed to know anything about the doctor as per the new doctor-patients relationship laws.
"I am quiet satisfied with your profile. You can perform my surgery, but be a little civilized in the techniques you use."
Kapur replied, "Doctors are not a bunch of primitive barbarians. You don't have to keep reminding me."
"Well then, you can go ahead with the surgery, I believe my home-medico robot is capable of providing you all the weapons you need to cut me open."
Kapur decided to type in the commands to avoid the risk of the computer mistaking his voice commands. He began the medical procedure by typing in the commands to deactivate the nerves of the digestive system and skin. Then he stopped the flow of blood to these parts as well. The home medico was sterilizing the surgical equipment for the past few seconds and was now ready to go. The incision was nearly 1mm big. It was quiet big for the home medico to send in its army of surgerers (robotic surgeons). These surgerers were equipped with both conventional metal equipment and mild LASER's. Dr.Kapur watched in fascination as the surgerers began killing the overgrown cells. It was like watching one of those twentieth century humans clearing a hillside of plants.
The home medico had cleaned up all the dead cells and was ready to leave the body. Kapur typed in a command to scan the stomach for any remaining cells. The scan was not able to detect any living cells. So Kapur commanded the surgerers to move out. The surgerers were out through the hole and into the sterilizing chamber of the home medico within seconds. The autotroph was gaping at the large hole that had been cut into him. Soon the home medico had stimulated the surrounding cells with growth hormones. The tissue was back in place within seconds. The surgery had been finished within ten minutes.
The autotroph rather happily replied, "Thank you doctor it has been a pleasure getting operated by you. I am to follow any special medication or something like that?"
Kapur replied, "As such you don't need any medication. But in case of any infection your body sensors should be able to release the necessary antibiotics. You will have to pay me 100n^ for my services. If you have a insurance just send my office the details of the procedure."
The autotroph thanked the doctor once again and soon the tele-viewer connection was gone. Kapur was rather pleased at having done a surgery on mutant. After all it was the first one in his career of hundred and fifty years. He hoped the next doctor's report would recommend him to some city hospital. Very soon he fell asleep dreaming about the distant city life.
Labels: short-story
posted by Author at 7:43 AM
1 Comments:
Brilliant imagination!!
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