Page 96 - Just Deserts

PIVOT

“So, this: according to my mystery correspondent—who also
knew my home address, which is unlisted—his or her employer has a
rather sinister motive in subsidizing this research. Company X is the
manufacturer of a widespread product, as unidentified as the writer,
which will probably be exposed as a major carcinogen at some point
in the next twenty years. In the meantime, it is being manufactured
and disseminated by the ton throughout the world. Rather than halt a
very lucrative enterprise, Company X is banking on PIVOT to
provide an out: creating the next generation of humanity with an
immunity to the toxic substance. Company X will be licensed by
Kingswater or obtain title to any patents to the PIVOT process, and
thereby profit twice—from the disease and its cure. All quite legal, of
course, as far as I can see, but this letter-writer was very hostile to the
idea.”
Skinner looked at Humphrey Campbell. “She’s right, isn’t she? We
had to deal with this question before, when the first papers on
manufactured organisms were published a few years ago. We had no
problem with ethics then, did we?”
“No, sir!” Hump Campbell was emphatic. “It would be a
compromise of our academic integrity and detachment to get
involved in a crass commercial dispute.”
“Excuse me.” It was Walter Wahl, a teacher highly respected by
students and faculty alike. “This may be difficult to believe, but a
message has also reached me concerning the research described in
this article. But it was not anonymously sent: the author is one
Angela Agram, who claims to be Professor Kingswater’s assistant at
the Institute for Chromosomal Studies. That much is true; I checked
with the personnel office at Bordham University. She, too, is writing
in the capacity of a ‘whistle-blower,’ I’m afraid. What we may have
here is another ‘midwife toad’ case: fraudulent data supporting a
theory otherwise unverifiable. Ms. Agram has forwarded copies of lab
reports showing rather different results than those presented in this
paper. Despite its plausibility, and whatever attractiveness it may
possess for those looking for quick fixes to social problems, PIVOT
has not been proven by Dr. Kingswater. To the contrary, it seems as
if he has resorted to falsification of experimental results in a
desperate attempt to gain acceptance of his ideas. The man has
95