But this time it's awful."
Doc shot a few questions at him, frowning at what he heard. Then he
began packing the few things that might help. There should be no
appendicitis on Mars. The bugs responsible for that shouldn't have
adapted to Mars-normal. But more and more infections found ways to cross
the border. Gangrene had been able to get by without change, it seemed.
So far, none of the contagious infections except polio and the common
cold had made the jump.
This sounded like an advanced case, perhaps already involving
peritonitis.
So far, he'd been lucky with penicillin, but each time he used it with
grave doubts of its action on the Mars-adapted patients. If the appendix
had burst, however, it was the only possible treatment.
He riffled through his stores; There was ether enough, fortunately. The
villagers had made that for him out of Martian plants, using their
complicated fermentation processes. He yelled for Jake, and the boy
brought the old man back a moment later.
"Jake, I'll need more of that narcotic stuff. I don't want the woman
writhing and tearing her stitches after the ether wears off."
"Can't get it, Doc." Jake's eyes seemed to cloud as he said it.
"Distilling plant broke down. Doc, I don't like this case. That woman's
been to the hospital three times. I hear she just got out recently. This
might be a plant, or they figure they can't help her.
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