《Periodic Table Astatine 》作者：- Michael Swanwick【EPUB】

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Michael Swanwicks Periodic Table of Science Fiction 85 At Astatine 210Bad Brains Im feeling awfully nervous doctor. Well thats perfectly understandable. A brand-new medical procedure like this can bedaunting. But you mustnt get hung up on the fact that its quote-experimental-unquote. Theoperation itself is so simple and painless that were performing it without anesthesia. Youdont feel any discomfort do you No but still. Filling my brain with radioactive chemicals Ugh. Its not as drastic as it sounds. Astatine-211 is an alpha-emitter. That means its radiationcould be stopped by a sheet of paper. We link the astatine isotope to carrier molecules thatseek out the disseminated microscopic cancers in your brain. Because its both intense andlocal the radiation burns away the cancer without causing significant damage to nearby healthytissues. If you say so Doc. Here. Look at this screen. Thats your brain. Wow. Spooky. How do you do that Medical imaging. The radioimmunoconjugate is mildly magnetic so its easy to track. You seethose small bright spots Like little stars yeah. Thats the astatine-211 at work. Each of those spots is a small metastasis thats being burnedaway even as we speak. How do I get those radioimmunowhatevers out of my head when the job is done Thats not necessary. Astatine-211 has a half-life of 8.3 hours. So it damps down fast. Itllbe essentially inert by morning. Huh. Funny thing. Whats that I just got the urge to go back to church again. Having a serious medical condition can do that. I havent been there in years and now Hey Ive got to file an amended tax return. I beg your pardon I cut a few corners last April. Wow but Im feeling awfully clear-headed. I think maybe Illgo back to college pick up a few advanced degrees. Let me take your pulse. Theres nothing wrong with me physiologically Doc. Or mentally for that matter. Say lookifI tweak the settings on your device we can see which of the cancers have been neutralized.There goes another one You really shouldnt touch the equipment. Youre not qualified to I understand it now The radioimmunoconjugates are burning away all my microtumors includingthose with subclinical effects. Its the organic equivalent of defragging a computer. Thatswhy everythings so lucid. Im not subject to intellectual or moral error now. In fact I thinkits time I left. Wait. Where are you Im going home to give away all my possessions to the poor. Then I dont know yet. MaybeIll volunteer in an AIDS hospice. Or maybe Ill write poetry. Theres a lot more good to bedone in this world than I can possibly do in my lifetime. But I can make a start. I dont understand. Thats quite a technique youve got there Doc. I hope you spread it as far as you can. Wait Dont Damn. Excuse me doctor. Are you available now Eh The venture capitalist who was interested in your new procedure His flight came in early andhes here now. Send him away. I dont think theres any market for it. The End ?? 2003 by Michael Swanwick and SCIFI.COM.