V.R. Orthos
Recreational Orthopedics Resort
Installment 6

Shelly looked up at Dr. Fred James questioningly. Looking back at her he asked "Well, what do you feel?".
"Nothing." He made a few adjustments to a computer terminal.
"Now?"
"A little in my toes." she smiled and says "You mean it works?"
"Well, it may be little early but I'd have to say that the possibilities are there."
"I think this calls for a little celebration. How about giving me back my body completely so we can have one, even if it is a little early."
"You got it kid, here comes." He did some quick typing on the keyboard and a few moments later Shelly said she felt fine. All seemed right and proper. A cervical type collar was removed and she slowly stood up, not quite sure everything was working properly. An invalid fear it seemed.
Fred asked her if she felt alright.
"Yeah, but this still makes me kind of nervous.:
"Understandable of course.", he replied.
"New technology always includes a bit of nervousness when it finally gets down to the guinea pigs. Not that I'd ever treat you like a pig. You are one of the most supportive of anyone I've worked with on this project."
"Nice recovery Doc, but it's still gonna' cost ya'"
"Yeah, yeah, it always does but somehow we both come out ahead. I think any kind of a win/win situation should be celebrated. What say we go find Sue and Tom and inform them of our latest success and let them continue to be the chroniclers of the ROR research team?"

"All for it, let's go."
"Sue! Where the heck did you put my diary about this project of Fred's?"
"It's right on the shelf of your nightstand where you always forget that you put it. Don't yell at me cause you keep forgetting. Maybe I'd better have Fred check you out for early onset of senility. Now get in here and help me out of bed, I'm supposed to get this double shoulder spica and Minerva combo cast off in half an hour. Unfortunately work does call again."

Sue had been in the cast for a week and I had to baby sit and take care of her. Boy, was I jealous. But, it was her turn. I helped her get ready, she always wants to look nice. Plastered torso, shoulders, arms, neck and around her forehead. What more could a man want to look at, she looked great. The fact that she also enjoyed it made it better for both of us.
"By the way, Shelly and Fred wanted to meet us for lunch to talk some more about their little project and I said OK. It is OK isn't it?"
"Sure, why not. Besides, the idea of actually being able to feel, or not feel as the case may be, would certainly heighten a brace or cast experience for anyone. Not even taken into consideration the possibilities in handling an actual medical situation that might arise. I think this project has a lot of merit and I'm just proud as punch that you get to be the one to help keep track of what is going on. Well, time to go get unplastered. Could you please get the door."

"Alrighty then Doc, refresh my memory on what you're up to. Just to start I want to summarize for you and then you can tell me how fouled up I've got my information. What you are doing is trying to come up with a neural transmitter blocker, right? And this blocker will, you hope, be able to block specific signals to certain areas of the body. You say it's kind of like a computer network or postal route, right? Ok then, I am confused and I leave it in your hands to enlighten me."
"Well Tom, I'll try to keep it as simple as possible. You know how the postal system works. Everybody has an address. Well, what if one particular persons post, that is mail, is blocked so he doesn't get the message? I am trying to do the same with the human body. Every nerve, muscle etc., as near as I suspect, has some kind of address that the brain communicates to. The body control is electrical to a point that is absolutely incredible. Unlike computers which run on DC voltages from 3 to usually not higher than 15 volts, the body runs on microvolts, which are thousandths of a volt and micro and pico amps, which are equally small. Now then the nerves serve as a sort of wiring through which the electrical signals pass. I am assuming that the destination of the nerves must have some identifier for the brain to communicate with. Does this make any sense to you."
Sue broke in with, "You're saying that the nerve that causes me to move a particular muscle or tell my mind that I have an itch on my arm each have a particular address, like a computer memory cell, that can be read or written to in order to get information or tell a muscle what to do.."
"Pretty much, that's the basics. I haven't totally broken down the code yet, and I think I'd be getting pretty cocky to say that I could, but some of them I do think I've recognized. The addresses appear to be tied in with the DNA strands and are pretty standard from person to person. In other words even though there are billions of people they all possess the same basic internal communications system, and the same addresses. It would be like two different towns having the same streets and numbers being differentiated only because they are in different towns or different bodies."
Tom broke in, "So you're saying that the address of the nerve that says to blink my eye is the same address as in Shelly?"
"That's right."
"Then why can't my mind make Shelly or Sue's nerves do what I command my own."
"It's because the part of the DNA that makes you unique is also part of the address, like the name of the town I mentioned earlier. To make it more complex I think everyone's mental commands or sensory perceptions are transmitted. Take identical twins who feel each others emotions, pains etc. Because they are identical, they have the same address for these commands/senses."
"It makes sense." Said Shelly
"Well, what I am doing", Fred continued, is detecting nerve impulses by address and by a frequency spectrum identity. Remember what I said about the signals being transmitted? Well, I believe that I have been able to detect certain patterns transmitted by the body. I also believe that I have found a method to scramble or block certain of these transmissions. By doing this, and I have had a certain amount of success, I use a very low power transmitter that sends out a blocking signal for a certain neural address. I was able today, with Shelly, to shut down her voluntary muscle control for her body, of course I would not want to try to control the involuntary musculature. One slip and she could stop breathing or her heart stop. I have, I believe, found the signals that do control them though and make it a point not to even come close to bothering them. I have also found a way to group the signals so that I could, say, tell a leg to quit working, or an arm. With Shelly today I shut down her control of her body from the neck down and restored control to her without any side affects."
Shelly said, "It was weird not having any control, but at the same time it was exciting."
"Ok," said Tom, "this collar your using is the sensor and transmitter, and your sending out these jamming signals to the spinal column in her neck. Right."
"That's right. I chose that area because I can get the most effect with the smallest transmission levels, picowatts actually." Said Dr. James.
"Pico what's?"
"Picowatts. It has to do with power. You know how a radio station will claim 500 kilowatts, that's thousands of watts. Well, we are on the other end at pico, or a millionth millionth of a watt, and no I didn't stutter. In number terms it comes out .000000000001 watt."
Sue broke in with, "And your saying that that kind of power, which I can't even comprehend can affect the signals you're talking about?"
"Yep."
"So," said Tom, "where to now?"
"Well, I've been trying to come up with a system more localized so that I could wrap a strap around the top of a thigh and basically turn off the leg. Blood would still flow the muscles would still be fine. It's just that there would be no feeling or control over the limb. I'm also thinking of the regular medical profession. Imagine an accident victim with a broken leg, immense pain, and muscular contractions. Pretty nasty. Now consider the EMT placing this strap on the victim's leg and all the nerves are basically shut down. No more pain, no more muscle spasm. The patient is calmer, more tractable and all in all in a more stable condition. The possibilities are pretty spectacular. On the other hand, for what we do here it would give our guest a much more realistic experience if that is what they prefer. If a person wanted to experience para-, or quadriplegia it could be done without having to introduce dangerous drugs or some other dangerous controlling factor."
"Doc, this all sound like something from either Star Trek or the Outer Limits. But on the other hand I can see where to the medical profession this would be pretty exciting and for recreational realism it also sounds pretty exciting. I wouldn't mind using your little collar and have Shelley as my personal nurse handling all of my little needs and desires."
"Why Tom", Shelly broke in, "is this an offer to further test the good doctors work?"
"Weeeellllll," Tom stammered, "I guess maybe I could be persuaded as long as it was just from the hips down and I could wear a nice set of leg braces?"
Dr. James said, "Well, why not? We could go down and I am pretty sure that we have some good braces that with just a little adjusting could do the job. And of course I am also quite sure that Shelly would be willing to assist in our little experiment for a few days. What do you say Shelly?"
"Would he really have no feeling from the hips down, I mean, there may be some things that need done that would require a certain amount of control below the hips but not including the legs don't you think?"
"Yes, I think I get your drift. Well then, it could work to out advantage to try and get a more specific control of just the leg muscles and leave the other, ahem, systems fully functional. Will that meet with your criteria for the test?"
"You bethcha doc. So, when do we start?"
"I'll need a few days to get this figured out, so you guys can do what you need to in order to keep your jobs and I'll get clearance for you to assist me over the weekend. Ok?"
With that everyone finished eating and headed out to do whatever it was they needed to do.

"Sue? "called Tom.
"Yea, what is it?"
"I think I might be kind of nervous about all this and really could use some confidence reinforcement. It's not that I don't trust Doc James but what if..."
"Well, I have absolute faith in the doc and I know you do to. It's just a case of stage fright. We're meeting with him in a half hour and the butterflies are making you nervous. But just think, I'll be right here to help my poor helpless husband through this trying time in his life. I'll have to care for you, do for you, be there for you and...hey, how the heck did this get to be all about you. What do I get out of it?"
"Why darlin', ya'll git ta take care o' poor li'l ol' me an' he'p the poor doc to prove his self. And, of course, I will be at your tender mercies the whole time. Let's go before I chicken out."

"Now Tom, this modified Philadelphia collar will have to remain on you the entire time. The circuitry is battery powered and will easily last the length of time we're looking at. So, are you ready?"
"Yeah, I think so. You're sure it will be just my legs I lose the use of, right?"
"Yep, nothing to worry about. Shelly and I tried it out on her for a short time and everything worked just fine. I've got your address isolated so no one else could possibly be affected and I have the information on the muscle groups. Realy?"
"Let er rip."
Sue held Tom's right hand and Shelly his left and Dr. James flipped a switch on a control panel he held in his hands. Tom closed his eyes and waited for...what?
"Doc, something must be wrong, I didn't feel anything change. Is everything alright?"
He checked the control panel, smiled, and reached over to disconnect the cable that ran from the control panel to the collar. "Try moving your legs. Interesting, nothing happened. Now, let's try this." And he pricked Tom's toes, calf and thigh with a pin.
"Feel anything?"
"No! Nothing at all. I kind of expected to feel the feeling go away, but nothing. It's like they're gone."
"Well then, I guess we'd better sit you up and let you that your legs really are still there and get these braces fitted so you can learn to walk."
They helped Tom sit up and showed him that his legs really were there and he confirmed that he could neither feel nor control them at all. The leg braces were, by a far shot, not quite what he had expected. They were full length leg calipers with padded rings at the top. When they were put on the rings pressed up against his buttocks.
"Hey? I can feel my butt."f
"Well, "said Shelly" that revelation just send shivers up and down my spine. How about you guys?"
Dr. James, with a super serious expression on his face said that in no way was he going to touch that line. Shelly agreed whole heartedly. Sue, on the other hand, said that she would take that up with him later.
Once the braces were on and adjusted, a pair of crutches were produced and Tom was helped down off of the table.
"Wow, this will take a while to get used to. My legs are totally useless. This collar feels alright but wow, I am going to have to learn to walk again."
Half an hour later he was tired but had started to get the hang of walking without the use of his legs, having these long useless appendiges in the way without being able to see them because of the collar and he was grinning from ear to ear.
"This is cool, but jeez am I tired. Think I could borrow a wheelchair and go up to my room for a little rest?"
"Well, "said Dr. James, "don't see why not? I've actually slecured the collar so you can't remove it for the duration of the experiment and everything appears to be working fine. So, I guess Shelly and I will see you two at dinner, or will you be eating in."
Sue just looked first at Dr. James, then at Shelly and then at Tom.
"Well, I suppose we'll eat in. After all, Tom is tired and I want to take special care of him. And besides, I have to check on the Doc's work in only having his legs and not other portions of his anatomy in this useless state, don't I?" No comments were made as Sue wheeled Tom towars their quarters, a big smile on each of their faces.
(To be continued...) casting1@juno.com