From the desk of Commissar 2nd Class, Doctor Sara
Barerra
Office of Health & Disease Prevention on loan to OEDR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS REPORT
(T) 06/19: I ran blood work for an adult female
OC sufferer today (Athena Green). In the interest of preserving her privacy I
will not state why she came in, just that she was not pregnant. I conversed
with her at length about her experiences as a OC sufferer. While the subject
was, understandably, a sore one; she told me about a how her social status
forced her into a menial occupation and precluded any romantic relationship
with any of her own kind (even other OC sufferers) according to novum laws and
tradition. I asked if she had any prior relationships anyway, but she
vehemently declined to state.
(T)
06/20: One of those professional vacationers from
the OCR actually made himself useful today. He discovered that, historically,
the lowest instances of COD came from the Golo city-state. Further, Goloine
couples who left the city state tended to have a lower instance of OC as well.
Somehow, he obtained an old religious text that apparently suggests that among
the Goloine pregnant women should be treated like goddesses. Merchants should
reduce their prices for them, husbands should cook for and massage them, and
not a single frown should be cast in their direction. Alternately, my research
found that the highest historical instances of OC come from the former nation
of Lenkekos, specifically: of low-order caste members. Such individuals were
often slave servants until circa 92 BHII, whereupon there was a social
re-stratification brought on by what can be equated to a civil rights movement.
While not granted true equality, these ‘lower orders’ were allowed to govern
themselves as semi-sovereign states as vassals to the Higher Order hegemony.
Interestingly, instances of OC seemed to drop nearly in proportion to the drop
in required contact with Higher Orders.
The
most important nugget of information, however, was that instances of OC would
ALWAYS increase during a foreign occupation. This, of course, was usually
attributed to the ‘raping and pillaging’ behavior one might expect from an
invader, but the fact that the Hilean Empire was not particularly prone to this
behavior (based on accounts from Earth, Talveras, Atintichuk, and Vistik) and
the rate of OC still rose in proportion to historic examples may
suggest that the occupation(s) itself may have something to do with the rise in
OC.
(T)
06/21: Green’s results revealed a significant amount of estrogen, adrenaline,
cortisol, norepinephrine, and P14. These are all commonly associated with
stress in humans, of course, except for P14. I recalled Athena Blue also had
elevated amounts of P14 whereas White did not. Could P14 be the key to stopping
or even ‘curing’ OC?
(T)
06/22: I received a blood sample from another OC female (I’m told, did not
meet patient), who I am identifying as Athena Pink, and was ordered to run a
DNA comparison test against another sample I received earlier today. The sample was not a
match; however I also ran a hormone test that revealed nothing
remarkable; even Pink’s P14 levels were down. Discouraging as it is, at least
it confirms that there are no significant physiological differences between a
healthy ‘shui’artik’ (those born without COD, ‘Bright Eyed’ in English) and OC
sufferer.
(T)
06/24: Athena Blue came back per my recommendation. She asserted that she had
fasted as I had suggested. She was still distressed that I could do nothing
about what she perceived to be a fated pregnancy. Took blood and urine samples.
(T)
06/25: Blue still exhibits expected pregnancy hormones and high levels of
stress hormones. Ordinarily I would suggest anti-anxiety medication, but I have
no way of knowing how that would affect a novum, let alone a pregnant one.
(T)
06/26: I attended a demonstration of novum prenatal care performed on Athena
Purple. She was advanced in the second trimester, and showed every indication
that she would bear a healthy baby. I observed her drink some sort of tea
before and after the procedure. When I asked, she stated it was a Goloine blend
renown for calming nerves. She had apparently developed a habit of drinking the
stuff during the occupation in order to cope. I stopped short of advising her
that such persistent body chemical state alterations could be an issue for the
baby, but I did ask if she would be open to a hormone screening. She consented.
While I drew blood, it occurred to me that I may be pursuing the wrong course
by exclusively screening hormones. I obtained permission to perform a genetic
test as well and obtained a second sample.
(T)
06/28: Purple’s results were consistent with White’s, save for highly elevated
readings in oxytocin and endorphins. Sadly, I think that data can be
disregarded due to the trace amounts of opiate analogues also found in her
blood (suspect that tea blend is the culprit, have forwarded suspicion to OHDP
– I doubt they’ll want CSC personnel drinking that stuff)
(T)
06/29: I feared the rate I’ve been gathering samples is far too slow to ever
compile useful data. I posed opening a voluntary hormone screening clinic to SC
Howard but he wouldn’t hear it; said “it would send the wrong message if we
started performing wide-spread medical experiments on the populace”. I tried explaining
that there was no risk to the populace, but he was adamant. Furthermore he put
a stop to this current ‘experiment’, so I can expect this to be the last entry
for a while.
(T)
07/02: I probably shouldn’t be typing this. Even with code names it comes too close to violating
privacy but I feel I have to say this, even if no one is listening.
Athena Green came in for
extensive blood work today, it wasn’t at my request; she needed it for another
CSC process. Process…it was a 107RSR is what it was for. When I ran her DNA I initially thought
I had grabbed the wrong sample, her chromosome sequence seemed eerily
familiar. On a hunch,
I compared her mitochondrial DNA to Athena Purple’s. They matched, to a point. They’re
half-sisters. That would
just be an interesting tidbit is five minutes later, OCI wasn’t knocking down
my door demanding to know where I got Green’s DNA. Turns out, and I can’t
believe I’m saying this, Green was apparently some sort of assassin for the
Empire. If this ever got out, Purple would lose all credibility and that
butcher Nakara would be the sole voice of Luz.
---(TBC)---
All information not strictly pursuant to medical interests has been redacted by OMNI.
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