InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Wessssleyyyy"

Simon Tam (can_swear) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-08-08 18:37:00

Entry tags:

!log, linda carter, simon tam

How very ... primitive
Who: Simon, Linda
What: coping -- or trying to -- with the medical "knowledge" in 1964
When: Monday evening
Where: Diner near the Welcome Center
Rating: Low
Status: --

Simon had acquired a number of medical texts to familiarize himself with the accepted processes and procedures of the day. Most of what he read horrified him beyond words, and he couldn't even find a place to begin correcting it. He didn't think corrections and change would be welcome, which was going to make working very, very interesting.

But it wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten into an argument with a doctor. He let his thoughts stray briefly to their heist on Ariel, to the bypass patient. Here though ... what he knew when so far beyond what they knew.

He'd carted his books to a diner, mostly because he was tired of the four walls of his room. He was glad to have a room, of course, but left alone, he spent too much time delving into his thoughts, and that rarely put him in a good mental place. So instead, he'd come out to the diner with some books, and was currently nursing a coffee. He'd had a dish of ice cream prior to that, after enjoying a very large hamburger and fries. At least this reality had food going for it. Still, he'd rather have tasteless protein on Serenity than all the hamburgers in this world.

Pushing away his thoughts, Simon turned the page in the book. His blue eyes skimmed down the page before he shook his head, making a few notes on the notepad he'd purchased. "It's a wonder they managed to procreate at all," he muttered. Between birth defects caused by smoking and drinking, and the disregard for the female reproductive system ...

He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair again. By now, it was sticking up in any number of odd ways and he was sure he had a harried look, but he honestly couldn't believe some of the things he was reading.

"They were lucky they didn't kill all their patients," he muttered incredulously as he jotted down a couple more notes. If at all possible, he intended to try to weed out the blatantly harmful practices, and to do his best to discourage drinking and smoking in pregnant women, but it was an enormous task and he was one man.

Still, he had to start somewhere, and as long as he was stuck here, he may as well try to make a difference.

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can_swear
2011-08-12 01:22 am UTC (link)

"Weevil," he echoed. "Like a beetle?" That was the only context he had of weevil and he was curious how that was a medical risk. Maybe if there were enough weevils involved ...

"I've dealt with sword wounds," he admitted. "Believe it or not," he added with a grin. Mal seemed to have a penchant for inciting guys with swords to stab him, though Simon couldn't fathom why.

"I'm not that crazy about the idea of 1964 medical care," he admitted with a glance at the books. "I don't know how much you know about the medical community here, in general, but ... how open would they be to a stranger attempting to teach them actual advanced medicine?" He imagined the answer was 'not very' but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Even if he could only get a few doctors, some respected ones, they could maybe spread the ideas he was selling.

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roomontheright
2011-08-15 02:01 pm UTC (link)

She shook her head. "There seem to be these... it's hard to describe. But they're big and those fangs..." Linda shuddered. "A man wrote about them. Apparently they exist in his world and even with their technology and advances, being attacked by one is almost a death sentence."

"Not everyone would be open to it," Linda admitted. "But there's always someone willing to, specially if it will help their patients in the long run."

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can_swear
2011-08-15 02:21 pm UTC (link)

Simon was sort of waiting for something more of a description besides big and fanged, but when none seemed to be forthcoming, he just nodded. He'd just ... watch out for big things with fangs. Granted, big was relevant. Big for a beetle? Big for a cat? Big for a man?

He decided it probably wasn't a real worry just now. If it was, surely he would have heard about it before now.

Unsurprised by her assessment, he nodded again. No, not everyone would be open to it, but maybe if he could get it started, there'd be a ripple effect. He could hope, at any rate. "That's ... that would be good," he agreed quietly. "If just one or two were willing to abandon ... at least the more harmful practices, it would be a step in the right direction."

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	roomontheright 2011-08-16 01:49 am UTC (link)
	"I am afraid my description is no good. Most of the information I've gotten it from patients and witness. But there is at least a man out there who knows how to deal with them - or as close as he can get." "Medical care wouldn't advance if it weren't for people willing to take a risk for the sake of their patients," she added. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

can_swear
2011-08-16 01:58 am UTC (link)

Simon thought that was convenient -- that someone present knew how to deal with a ... well, he could only assume it was a monster. It made him wonder if it had somehow come through with him, and in that same thought, he wondered if whatever had brought him here had brought some reavers along. He hadn't seen one, but that didn't mean anything.

"No, but not everyone is motivated to take risks. I mean, there's the mentality of if it's not broken, don't fix it. Except they don't know that it is broken, because to them, this probably is the pinnacle of current medical advancement," he explained. He recognized that he was sliding into lecture mode and he attempted to rein himself in before he really got going. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just ... I feel very strongly about this."

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