Life in a Thousand WorldsHarris, W. S. (William Shuler)
Science
Life in a Thousand Worlds
Harris, W. S. (William Shuler)
Utopias
One of the most noted medical achievements on this world consists in the
manner of rendering a person unconscious of pain. The anatomy of a
Dore-lynite is, in general, the same as our anatomy. Their bones are
arranged a little differently and the sections of the backbone have a
quite different formation. When a surgeon of that world wishes to
perform an operation and therefore render the patient unconscious, he
presses the tough cartilagenous part of a section of the backbone with a
screw device fastened to the body of the patient. This simple act
renders the spinal cord insensitive, which condition may be maintained
for hours without injuring the patient. Of course any point above the
screw device is sensitive, and for this reason it is more difficult to
render a person unconscious in the parts about the head.
Many ages ago the world of microbes was laid bare, but not before these
people were masters of the microscope or an instrument serving the same
purposes, although formed on a partly different principle.
These Dore-lynites have brought to light the numerous varieties of
parasite broods that cause fermentations and diseases, both infectious
and otherwise.
A diseased body is looked upon as being in possession of a certain brood
of microbes which are destroyed either by the blood filter or the
"Vaccine bath, or injection." (I know no better name by which to call
it.) A few diseases are treated by doses of medicines given in a manner
similar to the prescription system of our country.
The "Food Treatment" is also very popular in Dore-lyn. This is merely a
hygienic selection of foods given to people of declining health, instead
of having them swallow ten or twenty dollars' worth of strong medicines.
Abnormal appetites crave for a class of foods injurious to the system.
In Dore-lyn they have discovered a novel method of turning the diseased
appetite from its cravings toward the things needed by the system.
In performing operations, the experts of Dore-lyn have reached a
marvelous degree of perfection. They have learned to make a false eye so
that one can see with it. It took three and one-half thousand years of
continual experimenting on this delicate creation before it was
pronounced satisfactory.
The false eye is not of flesh but one of manufacture. It is placed in
sensitive connection with the optic nerve, on which images are thrown by
the delicate mechanism of the false eye. The sight thus obtained is
almost one-half as distinct as that which is enjoyed by the normal eye.
These medical wizards also make artificial ears which are about as
satisfactory as the natural ears. In certain lines of surgery we are
equal to these Dore-lynites, but we cannot register with them in the
whole category of surgical achievements. They have simply distanced us
by five hundred years. That is, I believe that in five hundred years we
can reach the fields of glory which they now occupy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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