Badge of Infamy

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n Earth year, he was a doctor again, moving about from vi

o do for themselves. Now they were largely self-sufficient. They grew native plants and extracted hormones in crude little chemical plants. The hormones were traded to the big chem

er part of his life. He ate with whatever family

onder the villagers distrusted Lobby doctors. Doc had his own little laboratory where he had

was his first anniversary, and now

e tough. But some day someone is going to die unde

ybe some day Mars will break free of th

ealizing what he'd started

ever you get mad, you want us to secede. But you don't really mean

The towns under the Lobby were cheap imitations of Earth, but here, divorced to a large extent from

llage forgot to report a death on time. I hear Ryan is

top-flight administrator. It must have hurt when they shipped her here as head of the lesser hemisphere of Mars. She'd

ice. "Anyone taking treatment from an herb doctor in this section is cut off f

think about getting rid of the Lobby, too. Well, I gotta help harve

Two men died last month because you wouldn't call me for surger

ill go to the hospital and they'll find your former work. T

and back toward the room concealed behind it, where his crude laboratory

helpless, but he had taken specimens and tried to culture them. Some of his cultures had grown, though they might be nothing but unknown Martian fung

an Earth Medical Journal from the tractor driven by Chris Ryan and forwarded it to him. He found the black specks mentioned in a s

ssical syndromes. He studied that, wondering. It had to be the same thing. Diet didn

f the neck which he found in every case he could c

emingly simple diseases turn out to be completely and rapidly fatal. Once sy

quipment. Each month more people were dy

boy thrust his head in. "Doc, there's a man

lready coming

er, began throwing up. Pains under her belly, l

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. Gangren

anced case, perhaps alre

with grave doubts of its action on the Mars-adapted patients. If t

had made that for him out of Martian plants, using their complicated fermentation

f. I don't want the woman writhing and tear

down. Doc, I don't like this case. That woman's been to the hospital three times. I he

ng if they do nothing." Doc finished packing his bag and got ready to go out.

nd the dry chuckle was back in his voice. "Right, Dr. Feldman." He flipped up his thumb and went off

and, George Lynn, was evasive and probably ignorant. He admitted that Harriet h

egally. Most cases had to go to Northport, but Chris had been trying to expand. Apparently, she

couldn't afford it. Most villagers didn't have the cash, either. They were forced to mortgag

e away?" Doc asked. He couldn'

ething. Cost every cent I could borrow. Then this last time, they kept her a

y tense. "How'd you pay

nothing about it. Just gave her back to me." He frowned slowly, his dull voice uncertain. "They told

tinks. They always charge. George, did the

all the talking with them. I just do wha

like a trap. Are you su

orn between his loyalties. "You know me, Doc. You fixed me up

that they stop to look for spies. He had no time for that. If the woman was

s a few months before. She'd whined and complained because he couldn't spend all his time attending

his first glance confirmed what George Lynn had said. The woman

at his having taken so long, but

able and shoved it under the single light. "Keep out of the way-in the other room, if you can all p

time to wait for it, however. He had to sterilize with alcohol and carbolic acid, and ho

he

They weren't supposed to release a sick patient, but there was an easy out for them; they could remove her from the danger of spreading an unknown infection. Some doctors must have doped

to protest; she never cooperated in anything. But the fumes of th

best he could. It was a rotten job to have to do, and he should have had help. But he g

ll the penicillin he dared. Then he began sewing up the incision. It was all he could do

woman had died, far more qu

. They couldn't hide her death, and any investigation would show that someon

tor. He took one look at Doc

nds, a gray Medical Corps tractor was coming. Either they'd had a spy in the village or they'd guessed the

what testimony they could force from th