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Wendy E Gamble
a rough-cut book bubble about
Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author Insight
We Need Innovative Medicine
The World doesn’t have enough modern-tech-trained doctors and nurses for everyone to have access. We might not have enough affordable medical practitioners even including traditional/alternative ones. I read in the Ottawa Science Museum that eighty percent of the world has no access to modern pharmaceuticals. There are those who prefer traditional methods such as herbal, but it sure would be nice if everyone had the option to use the method that works for them. The scenario in the excerpt is perhaps an extremely imagined method, making use of nature. The scientist in me wants to extract the exact chemicals we need from herbs, or to synthesise the right compounds, and not have the side-effects from other chemicals in the herbs. However, a herbalist pointed out that we don’t fully understand the complex interactions involved in using a whole plant instead of just one chemical from it. There are certainly examples from early records to modern times, if they are to be believed, of success with natural herbs. I’m convinced that many ancient medical methods must have had legitimate benefits to have been used and passed down so faithfully for centuries. We need to keep open minds and learn to incorporate the best of both worlds. Most of all, we need to find a way to make any viable options available to all!
Book Excerpt
Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3
The hospital was very obvious. Shockingly so. It was a large rectangle with a coppery lustre, but the strange, rather disturbing part was huge mural images on the left portraying a complete array of injuries. Torn limbs dripping blood, black eyes, diseased organs . . . if it could happen to someone it was probably on the wall. On the right, there were corresponding images of happily cured Spitters walking out with crutches, false limbs, or just happy smiles.
Inside, they immediately came up against a wall. They joined one of the short lines of beings walking through the continually refreshing waterfall of thick amber fluid. When it was their turn, they hurried through and were quickly directed to the head injury department. Without even removing Walsh from the stretcher, they slid him through a diagnostic machine. A doctor in a cream-coloured jumpsuit didn’t take long to tell them, “Unfortunately, he has a blood clot on the brain.”
Glad she had her Pocod back, Karen tuned into Chiron, with Lopez currently on the line. “That’s not good,” Lopez said. “That needs to be cleared up right away. I sure hope the Lisers know what they’re doing.”
The Lisers seemed confident about a plan, so Karen nodded her permission. There wasn’t much choice. The balloon was modified so there was and open area giving access to the part of the skull above the clot. With new edges sealing the bubble, his whole head and face were still encased except one small circle.
Hair was removed from the exposed region, then a small creature was brought forth, dripping saliva and sniffing eagerly. The thing looked like a tiny asymmetrical monkey with razor sharp teeth and smooth pale blue skin. The drill-monkey was released, and eagerly jutted out its tiny jaw to chew through the skull. Karen felt a bit sick, but she knew leeches and all kinds of odd things had been used in human medicine, so she held her tongue.
After the drill licked at the soft brain matter, he was gently removed to smack his lips and digest. There was no bleeding from Walsh, as the enzymes from the critter did their job. A doctor moved in and used a tool to tease open the area with the clot. He suctioned it away, then replaced the missing parts of the blood vessels. When he was done, he sprayed a white material that filled the hole in the skull then hardened quickly. He then finished up by placing a gel in the hole and sealing up with a membrane.
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