When Peter first conducted the tests, he was in denial. He refused to believe that the virus he was dealing with could potentially be Ebola or marburg. After realizing and finally coming to terms with the fact that the virus was indeed Ebola or a close relative of it, he went into denial about having actually sniffed the sample. He made excuses for himself, saying he only "whiffed it" (Preston 225). He was also scared of alerting C.J. of the "sniffing incident" because he was sure C.J. would "life [him] off his feet and drop him into the slammer" (Preston 225). If I had sniffed the sample, I would have faced it and alerted my superiors. Only one out of ten people usually survive this strain, but at that point, what is most needed are more subjects to study from. If the virus manages to infect and kill, the only viable solution to the problem would be to use the organism's body for the advancement of science. Getting locked up in the Slammer would be lonely and unfortunately, the subject would be left in solitude, but aside from death, only positive things can arise: the containment of the disease and a new host to test for effects of Ebola and the possible advancement of scientific research.
To add to what Alejandra mentioned about Peter being scared to inform CJ, he was more so afraid of being locked in the Slammer. Most people claim nothing bad happens in the Slammer physically, however the person that comes out of their (if they even come out) is totally emotionally drained and crazed out. Their minds become disorientated and they have a sense of paranoia: often being convinced that “the Army bureaucracy has forgotten about them” (Preston 207). They come out of the Slammer very pale and shaken. They do not know their own minds worth anymore and become angry with others and themselves also. Many people who were in the Slammer just end up quitting and “leaving the Institute altogether” (Preston 208) because they can’t handle the work or they are scared to put on a space suit after being confined to such a small space for a long period of time.
When Peter first conducted the tests, he was in denial. He refused to believe that the virus he was dealing with could potentially be Ebola or marburg. After realizing and finally coming to terms with the fact that the virus was indeed Ebola or a close relative of it, he went into denial about having actually sniffed the sample. He made excuses for himself, saying he only "whiffed it" (Preston 225). He was also scared of alerting C.J. of the "sniffing incident" because he was sure C.J. would "life [him] off his feet and drop him into the slammer" (Preston 225). If I had sniffed the sample, I would have faced it and alerted my superiors. Only one out of ten people usually survive this strain, but at that point, what is most needed are more subjects to study from. If the virus manages to infect and kill, the only viable solution to the problem would be to use the organism's body for the advancement of science. Getting locked up in the Slammer would be lonely and unfortunately, the subject would be left in solitude, but aside from death, only positive things can arise: the containment of the disease and a new host to test for effects of Ebola and the possible advancement of scientific research.
ReplyDeleteTo add to what Alejandra mentioned about Peter being scared to inform CJ, he was more so afraid of being locked in the Slammer. Most people claim nothing bad happens in the Slammer physically, however the person that comes out of their (if they even come out) is totally emotionally drained and crazed out. Their minds become disorientated and they have a sense of paranoia: often being convinced that “the Army bureaucracy has forgotten about them” (Preston 207). They come out of the Slammer very pale and shaken. They do not know their own minds worth anymore and become angry with others and themselves also. Many people who were in the Slammer just end up quitting and “leaving the Institute altogether” (Preston 208) because they can’t handle the work or they are scared to put on a space suit after being confined to such a small space for a long period of time.
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