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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Horror
- Subject: Creatures & Monsters
- Published: 01/24/2023
The Abominable Rat-Brain Experiment
Born 1946, M, from PA, United StatesA grand scientific experiment was soon to take place: the implantation of human brain cells into rat's brain, and the scientific world was abuzz with excitement. The laboratory rat in question, one among the estimated 100 million laboratory mice and rats in the United States, was a placid, middle-age white laboratory rat affectionately referred to as Jimmy.
Despite being a lab-rat, Jimmy had been living a life without worries. Of course, that was common with all animals lacking human reasoning abilities. You see, the inability to review and critically evaluate the present, to critically recall the past, and to worry about an impending future, makes animal existence resemble the peaceful, Buddhist state of consciousness referred to as nirvana, a peaceful state of being which some humans desperately spent a lifetime striving to attain, but without any success.
That was until Jimmy’s rat-brain was scheduled to be tampered with by having human brain-cells implanted in it for epileptic-alleviation research purposes. Unfortunately for Jimmy, these implantations would be different. You see, unlike past attempts in adult rats, this time the cells were expected to be absorbed quickly and to eventually compose up to a third of the Jimmy's rat-brain after six months. They were also expected to become part of his decision-making, and to affect his physical reactions.
As a moral justification, the benefits of alleviating epileptic symptoms in humans had been used while the obvious very potential harmful repercussions were purposefully ignored or downplayed based on the twisted moral standards of the ambitious scientists in charge.
“Do we really have a right to do this?" an elderly biology professor of the university of Missouri where the experiment was scheduled to take place, and who had been assigned to address student growing concerns in reference to it, asked rhetorically.
“A far more fitting question, my friends," he continued, "...is do we have the obligation to do it in order to alleviate human suffering? In short, it boils down to human welfare vs. rodent welfare, and when it comes to deciding which is more important, it should be obvious that it is us! We, the predominant species on this planet, and upon whose survival the future of all other species depends. Any questions?" the professor added while gazing about defiantly, as if challenging anyone to disagree.
A young male exchange student from India who was sitting in the back row seats raised his hand. He had been brought up as a Christian by his adoptive parents, and to him, it seemed blasphemous to imbue an animal, either purposefully or accidentally with identical mental human characteristics.
“Shoot!" the professor said while leaning over the podium defiantly.
“Well sir, from a Christian standpoint you are wrong!”
The professor gazed intently at the student with utter atheistic contempt before replying to his objection. Although shaken by the abrupt interruption, he wasn't about to concede any point, regardless of how compelling it might be.
“Alleviation of human suffering by using animals is wrong?” the professor asked, while looking about in a mocking manner as if seeking to find some approval from the audience which had become eerily silent, as if giving credence to the young student’s objection.
“Yes, you are wrong, professor. You see, the creator, God, imbued humans with reasoning faculties that he possesses, for a good reason. So that we could resemble him. That is why he calls us his children. Animals were not made in his image, and incapable of reasoning. So granting them that ability, or risking to grant it, is wrong."
The professor stared intently at the student for a great while before responding. He had been hoping for a mocking laughter from those attending, a laughter that would shame this upstart student into silence, but they all suddenly seemed strangely quiet.
“Young man, you act as if it is a foregone conclusion. It hasn't been determined yet if those human brain cells will provide a rat with human thinking abilities. So aren't you being rather premature in your conclusions?”
“But you are irresponsibly willing to risk it. Willing to shunt aside what we are told in the Bible about our special position before God. Willing to warp God's animal creation into something that he never intended"
“Assuming that your God does exist?" he replied with a wide, sarcastic smile on his aged wrinkled face, while anxiously gazing about the room for support. I still have a very hard time imagining that your god would condemn us for seeking to alleviate human suffering by all means at our disposal!"
“Alleviation of suffering will come professor," the student responded, "but it will not come by turning animals into semi-humans by infusing them with abilities to think that they were never meant to have! By superimposing God’s sacred image on a lower animal!"
The session came abruptly to an end. But not the controversy. Yet, the experiment proceeded unabated and the brain of Jimmy the rat received the human brain-cell implants as scheduled. All seemed normal for the first six months. Then a screaming was heard from the lab cage where the Jimmy was enclosed. No, it was not a rodent's typical squeal. It was actually a miniature human scream that sent shivers up their spines and horrified everyone present in the adjacent room.
None wanted to enter that room for fear of what they might find. All hesitated until the screaming grew in intensity and loudness. Some young female lab-workers fled frantically from the facility with their hands covering their ears' and weeping and the ones brave enough to enter the room were forever psychologically scarred.
They had found Jimmy thrashing wildly at the cage-wire with his bloodied front paws. His once-tranquil eyes would widen in horror whenever he caught sight of his own rat-image in the small mirror within his enclosure. He was in throes of psychological agony, attempting to flee from himself, as if he was now considering himself a monstrous abomination, gnawing off his tail and paws, as if they had been hideous intolerable appendages, gazing at the scientists with pleading horrified eyes that reflected an imprisoned humanity trapped within a hideous beast, while desperately attempting to speak and barely able to utter the squeaking sound of, "Please kill me!"
--------------------------
9 Brain ‘Studies’ Proving Experimenters Need THEIR Brains Tested
www.peta.org/features/cruel-brain-experiments/
The Abominable Rat-Brain Experiment(Radrook)
A grand scientific experiment was soon to take place: the implantation of human brain cells into rat's brain, and the scientific world was abuzz with excitement. The laboratory rat in question, one among the estimated 100 million laboratory mice and rats in the United States, was a placid, middle-age white laboratory rat affectionately referred to as Jimmy.
Despite being a lab-rat, Jimmy had been living a life without worries. Of course, that was common with all animals lacking human reasoning abilities. You see, the inability to review and critically evaluate the present, to critically recall the past, and to worry about an impending future, makes animal existence resemble the peaceful, Buddhist state of consciousness referred to as nirvana, a peaceful state of being which some humans desperately spent a lifetime striving to attain, but without any success.
That was until Jimmy’s rat-brain was scheduled to be tampered with by having human brain-cells implanted in it for epileptic-alleviation research purposes. Unfortunately for Jimmy, these implantations would be different. You see, unlike past attempts in adult rats, this time the cells were expected to be absorbed quickly and to eventually compose up to a third of the Jimmy's rat-brain after six months. They were also expected to become part of his decision-making, and to affect his physical reactions.
As a moral justification, the benefits of alleviating epileptic symptoms in humans had been used while the obvious very potential harmful repercussions were purposefully ignored or downplayed based on the twisted moral standards of the ambitious scientists in charge.
“Do we really have a right to do this?" an elderly biology professor of the university of Missouri where the experiment was scheduled to take place, and who had been assigned to address student growing concerns in reference to it, asked rhetorically.
“A far more fitting question, my friends," he continued, "...is do we have the obligation to do it in order to alleviate human suffering? In short, it boils down to human welfare vs. rodent welfare, and when it comes to deciding which is more important, it should be obvious that it is us! We, the predominant species on this planet, and upon whose survival the future of all other species depends. Any questions?" the professor added while gazing about defiantly, as if challenging anyone to disagree.
A young male exchange student from India who was sitting in the back row seats raised his hand. He had been brought up as a Christian by his adoptive parents, and to him, it seemed blasphemous to imbue an animal, either purposefully or accidentally with identical mental human characteristics.
“Shoot!" the professor said while leaning over the podium defiantly.
“Well sir, from a Christian standpoint you are wrong!”
The professor gazed intently at the student with utter atheistic contempt before replying to his objection. Although shaken by the abrupt interruption, he wasn't about to concede any point, regardless of how compelling it might be.
“Alleviation of human suffering by using animals is wrong?” the professor asked, while looking about in a mocking manner as if seeking to find some approval from the audience which had become eerily silent, as if giving credence to the young student’s objection.
“Yes, you are wrong, professor. You see, the creator, God, imbued humans with reasoning faculties that he possesses, for a good reason. So that we could resemble him. That is why he calls us his children. Animals were not made in his image, and incapable of reasoning. So granting them that ability, or risking to grant it, is wrong."
The professor stared intently at the student for a great while before responding. He had been hoping for a mocking laughter from those attending, a laughter that would shame this upstart student into silence, but they all suddenly seemed strangely quiet.
“Young man, you act as if it is a foregone conclusion. It hasn't been determined yet if those human brain cells will provide a rat with human thinking abilities. So aren't you being rather premature in your conclusions?”
“But you are irresponsibly willing to risk it. Willing to shunt aside what we are told in the Bible about our special position before God. Willing to warp God's animal creation into something that he never intended"
“Assuming that your God does exist?" he replied with a wide, sarcastic smile on his aged wrinkled face, while anxiously gazing about the room for support. I still have a very hard time imagining that your god would condemn us for seeking to alleviate human suffering by all means at our disposal!"
“Alleviation of suffering will come professor," the student responded, "but it will not come by turning animals into semi-humans by infusing them with abilities to think that they were never meant to have! By superimposing God’s sacred image on a lower animal!"
The session came abruptly to an end. But not the controversy. Yet, the experiment proceeded unabated and the brain of Jimmy the rat received the human brain-cell implants as scheduled. All seemed normal for the first six months. Then a screaming was heard from the lab cage where the Jimmy was enclosed. No, it was not a rodent's typical squeal. It was actually a miniature human scream that sent shivers up their spines and horrified everyone present in the adjacent room.
None wanted to enter that room for fear of what they might find. All hesitated until the screaming grew in intensity and loudness. Some young female lab-workers fled frantically from the facility with their hands covering their ears' and weeping and the ones brave enough to enter the room were forever psychologically scarred.
They had found Jimmy thrashing wildly at the cage-wire with his bloodied front paws. His once-tranquil eyes would widen in horror whenever he caught sight of his own rat-image in the small mirror within his enclosure. He was in throes of psychological agony, attempting to flee from himself, as if he was now considering himself a monstrous abomination, gnawing off his tail and paws, as if they had been hideous intolerable appendages, gazing at the scientists with pleading horrified eyes that reflected an imprisoned humanity trapped within a hideous beast, while desperately attempting to speak and barely able to utter the squeaking sound of, "Please kill me!"
--------------------------
9 Brain ‘Studies’ Proving Experimenters Need THEIR Brains Tested
www.peta.org/features/cruel-brain-experiments/
- Share this story on
- 11
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Radrook
03/14/2023Thanks for the feedback. Please note that the category that the story is under is Horror. What I find particularly horrible about it is that there is no guaranteed that this will not happen due to the obvious irresponsibility of the scientists involved.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shirley Smothers
03/13/2023Scarry! Sad this is happening in real life. Hope this stays a tale of fiction. Congratulations on Story Star of the week!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Radrook
03/13/2023Thanks for the feedback. They claim that the human brain-cell transplants will affect the mouse's decision-making but do not explain in exactly what potential way. I also hope it stays as fiction.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
P.S. Winn
01/28/2023Well done, what a great lesson in what should and should not be attempted
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Radrook
01/28/2023Thanks for the feedback Winn. I agree. If indeed the transplanted cells are going to affect the rodent's decisions and behavior, as they very calmly say it will, then that is a very powerful indication that they should stop.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shirley Smothers
01/28/2023Scarry and horrorible. I like this very much. The scarry part is expermints like this are happening in real life.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Radrook
01/28/2023Thanks for the feedback Shirley. Back during the 1960', certain, Russian scientists were doing some very horrible ones involving dogs. The description of these can be found with a Google search or else via a search on YouTube. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Shame on them!
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
01/28/2023This was horrific! I have to agree with the student. I'm not a big fan of playing God, scientific or medical! Great story Radrock! Congratulations on short story star of the day!
!
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
03/13/2023This was an eye opening read. Congratulations on short story star of the week!
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Radrook
01/28/2023Thanks for the feedback Lilian. It's always n honor to receive an award on Story Star. Much appreciated. Yes it is horrific. That's one reason I had never attempted to write a story on it before. Because the concept horrified me. But when Kevin suggested it I decided to try to overcome my aversion. You are absolutely right. There should be limits to what scientists attempt to do. Unfortunately, some feel that anything goes and that can lead to some horrible consequences. This is just one of them-a consciousness of a human imprisoned in a body it finds intolerable.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Radrook
01/28/2023Thanks Kevin. Much appreciate your feedback and for having suggested the writing of a story on that subject.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
01/27/2023abominable indeed! thanks for sharing this deeply disturbing and thought provoking work. happy short story STAR of the day, Radrook!
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
01/25/2023Wow! Just "Wow!" I think you are the front runner in the challenge!
Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Radrook
01/25/2023Thanks for positive feedback Kevin. Much appreciated. I feel the same about your story being the front runner. BTW: Would be funny if we wound up being the only ones who participated though. LOL!
COMMENTS (9)